The media in Swaziland (eSwatini) need wide-ranging
reforms but these will be difficult because of the kingdom’s ‘repressive
political environment’, a
new report found.
The standard of journalism in the kingdom where King
Mswati III rules as an absolute monarch need to improve, the African
Media Barometer (AMB) said.
It said there had been some improvements in recent
years but, ‘issues such as unbalanced stories, misquotes,
exaggerated headlines as well as spelling and grammatical
errors mar reporting standards’.
The AMB report was written by a panel of 12 people all
working in Swaziland. There were five from the media and seven from civil
society. They met over three days in October 2018.
In its report AMB said, ‘Another challenge is the
skewed reporting of eSwatini society. The media do not always fairly represent
all voices in society, including minorities. For instance, women’s
voices in the media continue
to be marginalised to a great extent while content continues
to be male-dominated. Similarly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex
and queer (LGBTIQ) issues are not often covered by the media and when they are,
they
are reported in a negative way. Persons with disabilities
are also marginalised both in news content and in the newsrooms.’
AMB also found, ‘Self-censorship
and corruption, which are common in newsrooms, also affect media
professionalism and the integrity of the news. Panellists pointed to the
extremely low salaries combined with the poor working conditions of journalists
as a cause of corruption.
‘Corruption is not only prevalent amongst the lowest
paid journalists, but also occurs with editors and managers. The close relationship
between the media and political or business elites contributes to corrupt
behaviour in the higher echelons of the media.’
The wide-ranging 65-page report added, ‘Lack of ‘access
to information’ legislation ensures that accessing public
information is difficult. The Official Secrets Act and other cultural practices
restrict the media in their efforts to obtain information and report freely on
the activities of government. Accessing
information for ordinary citizens, particularly those in
rural communities, is not easy. In 2007, the government released a draft
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Bill,
however, 11 years later, the Bill has not been passed.’
AMB concluded, ‘There is no doubt that eSwatini needs
wide ranging media reforms. This could be achieved through a concerted advocacy
effort by civil society organisations. However, over the years, the
effectiveness of civil society has declined due to the repressive political
environment and dwindling donor funding. The Swaziland
National Association of Journalists (SNAJ) needs
resuscitation to ensure its effectiveness. The Media
Workers Union of Swaziland (MWUS) needs to be inclusive of
media organisations including the Times of Swaziland, the only independent
newspaper in the country. The recently formed Swaziland Media Consortium (SMC)
made up of eight media bodies is a step in the right direction. The SMC
operates under the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations.’
See also
Journalists
in Swaziland endure year of harassment as they try to do their jobs
Increase
in support for free press
Making
media freedom in Swaziland is more than a dream
Swaziland
Govt minister is far from truth when she praises media freedom in kingdom
Censorship
total at Swazi state media
https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/05/censorship-total-at-swazi-state-media.html
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