Meanwhile, there is evidence that journalists in private
media are not only compromised by politicians but also ‘brown envelope
journalism’ where media practitioners are given money or other financial
benefits to push or hide information or stories.
Practitioners in state-run media have no editorial
independence and are considered civil servants and are expected to abide by
government orders.
The findings are contained in Assessment
of Media Development in Swaziland, the most comprehensive report
ever published on journalism and development in Swaziland.
UNESCO reported that in a survey journalists were
asked, ‘Have you ever been faced with attempts by external actors (whether
political or commercial) to interfere in the editorial content of an article or
programme that you re working on?’ A total of 65 percent of the journalists
interviewed answered ‘Yes, more than once.’ Another 5 percent answered, ‘Yes.’
A further 15 percent had no answer to the question.
UNESCO reported the number of respondents who had no
answer, ‘may suggest that some respondents might have been responding with
caution out of fear of reprisal.’
It added, ‘These results suggest lack of editorial
independence in both private and state media and two recent cases illustrate this.
In 2014, the government interfered with the editorial independence of the
privately-owned Times of Swaziland as
well as the state broadcaster. The government ordered the former, Times of Swaziland, to retract a story
about the spending of E208 million (US$20,800,000) by the authorities
reportedly sourced from Principal Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Khabonina
Mabuza, to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Parliament.
‘In another case, the management of the state
broadcaster suspended information
officer, Thandiswa Ginindza, from air after she broadcast a live interview with
the Chairman of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Member of
Parliament, Jan Sithole, on the country’s disqualification from benefitting
from the USA’s African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA). A controversy surrounded
the number of benchmarks that Swaziland required to meet before being
reinstated as a beneficiary. But the main reason for her suspension was that
MPs are banned from using the state broadcaster.’
UNESCO also reported that in an interview, Swaziland
Coalition of Concerned Civil Organisations (SCCCO) Director, Lomcebo Dlamini,
‘observed that the editorial independence of the private media is not only
compromised by political pressure but also by “brown envelope journalism” where
media practitioners are given money or other benefits to push or hide
information or stories.’
It quoted Vuyisile Hlatshwayo, National Director of
Media Institute of Southern Africa, Swaziland chapter, who said even in the
private media editorial independence was compromised by editors and media
owners who had ‘a cosy relationship’ with the government and big corporations.
‘The private media owners and editors ingratiate themselves with big
corporations that reciprocate with handing out freebies to the editors and
journalists. Such tendencies not only compromise the editorial independence of
the media but also contravene Article 3(1) of the Code of Ethics for
Journalists which states that: “Journalists should not accept bribes or any
form of inducement to influence the performance of his/her professional
duties,”’ UNESCO reported.
It also reported that Swazi TV and radio ‘are
effectively departments of the civil service and government mouthpieces acting
more as a vehicle for development’.
It added, ‘broadcast journalists are considered civil
servants first and journalists second. As they are employed as information
officers, they are part of the civil service and are thus expected to abide by
the Government General Orders.
‘As government information officers they are expected
to censor disruptive or critical information likely to compromise national
security and frustrate government’s realisation of socioeconomic development
goals, which clearly contravenes the spirit of editorial independence.
‘In addition, the ICT [Information, Communications and
Technology] Ministry has invoked the Public Service Announcement (PSA)
Guidelines to control the state broadcasters. These guidelines bar all Swazi
citizens, irrespective of their status, from airing their opinions on the radio
and television stations before their opinions have been cleared by their
chiefs.’
See also
TV
CENSORS PUBLIC SERVANTS’ MARCH
‘EDITOR
FLEES AFTER DEATH THREAT’
https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/editor-flees-after-death-threat.html
BROADCASTING IS NOT FOR THE PEOPLE
BROADCASTING IS NOT FOR THE PEOPLE
GOVT
‘TIGHTENS GRIP ON CENSORSHIP’
JOURNALISTS ‘SCARED TO DO THEIR JOBS’
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