5 November 2002

SHADES OF MUGABE AS JOURNALISTS FEAR LOSS OF MEDIA FREEDOMS


It seems Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe may be setting an example for his counterpart in Namibia. As Mugabe has clamped down on the media to muzzle public criticism of his policies, so has Namibian President Sam Nujoma increasingly made moves to rein in dissent from the country's mostly free press. And it has many journalists in Namibia worried.

This is the conclusion of a report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released last week following a recent visit to the country. "Undoing Press Freedom in Namibia" highlights growing concerns that Namibia's media freedoms may be going the way of Zimbabwe's.

In particular, the report notes the 27 August announcement that President Nujoma had appointed himself Minister of Information and Broadcasting to "tackle problems" at NBC, the state-owned broadcaster.

Telling an NBC journalist shortly after the announcement, "[You are] under me now. I will discipline [the NBC]," Nujoma has since banned foreign programming and ordered the broadcaster to replace the programs with those that show Namibia in a positive light, CPJ says.

What's more, members of Nujoma's ruling South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) have infiltrated the ranks of NBC at all levels, gaining greater control over the composition of the broadcaster's board of directors, and the hiring and promoting of senior managers, the CPJ report notes.

On numerous occasions, Nujoma has also denounced independent journalists as "unpatriotic" or "enemies" who pander to former colonisers, a favourite argument used by Mugabe's government. At the 2001 UNESCO conference in Namibia marking the 10th anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, Nujoma said the public would be better served if the press acted as a "tool" to transmit government information, CPJ says.

See the full report: www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Namibia.">http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Namibia_oct02/Namibia_oct02.html">www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Namibia.

Visit these links:

- CPJ's Special Briefing on Zimbabwe: www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Zim_archives.html">http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Zim_archives.html">www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Zim_archives.html

- Media Institute of Southern Africa: www.misa.org">http://www.misa.org/namibia.html">www.misa.org



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Also from the Communiqué, 5 November 2002

INTERNATIONAL: UNESCO TO HOLD SYMPOSIUM ON INTERNET FREE EXPRESSION 5 November 2002 INTERNATIONAL: DANIEL PEARL FELLOWSHIP LAUNCHED 5 November 2002 INTERNATIONAL: IPI TO MARK FIRST TEN YEARS IN VIENNA 5 November 2002 INTERNATIONAL: AMARC POSTPONES WORLD CONFERENCE 5 November 2002 INTERNATIONAL: CASCFEN TO HOLD FIRST CONFERENCE IN MARCH 2003 5 November 2002 LIBERIA: IMPRISONED JOURNALIST MAY BE RELEASED 5 November 2002 UNITED STATES: CONGRESS TABLES INTERNET FREEDOM BILL 5 November 2002 CHILE: FILM CENSORSHIP ABOLISHED / WPFC, HRW URGE ELIMINATION OF "DESACATO" LAWS 5 November 2002 INTERNATIONAL: HIGHLIGHTS IMPUNITY AND PRESS-FREEDOM ATTACKS IN THE AMERICAS 5 November 2002

Namibia

Newspaper faces defamation charges 25 January 2012 Ten-year-old advertising ban on "The Namibian" lifted 12 September 2011 MISA condemns suspension of "Informante" newspaper journalist 27 June 2011 Reporter fined for alleged biased reporting 22 June 2011 Football association head assaults journalist 31 May 2011 See all alerts: Namibia


Southern Africa

MALAWI: New report highlights ongoing press freedom challenges, says MISA 6 February 2012 ZIMBABWE: Foreign newspapers to be banned 6 February 2012 ZIMBABWE: Charges against MMPZ staffers reduced 26 January 2012 ZIMBABWE: Detained MMPZ staff freed on bail; journalist questioned 22 December 2011


 
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