Download - Media Institute of Southern Africa

State of the media in Southern Africa 2002
Newspapers were also required to settle their debts and pay in full costs for
forthcoming printing work.
EPIC Printers required in addition that a newspaper should sign a separate
legal document stating that: “EPIC Printers is not liable and should not be
held accountable from any legal action arising from the publications of any
sort by the publishers.”
Although the publications did not shut down, the environment within which
they now have to publish is littered with legal and financial hurdles. The media
can no longer be considered free if they are under threat of having to shut
down or are fearful of court settlements from the ever-growing trend of defamation
suits. Until the environment is such that everyone feels free to make
the media the playing field for exchange of ideas, true democracy may not be
realised.
Since the 1993 democratic elections, the independent media began to emerge.
The airwaves began to open up for independent broadcasting stations that
were not run as government departments. Because this was a first, after many
years of government control and the media war between the Southern African
states and then Apartheid South Africa, the media expected that people would
use their new found freedom to the fullest. A new and healthy culture of expressing
opinions not necessarily those of the establishment was ushered in.
The media fraternity, however, began to sense that some of the excesses in
reporting were not in the public interest and, as a result, began to seek ways of
curbing wild reports to pave the way for a more professional approach.
In 2002, an important milestone was reached in the establishment of democracy.
Since we had blamed the ‘first past the post’ Westminster model of elections
for a lack of equal opportunity to participate in the affairs of our country
and since we have been able to come up with the Mixed Member Proportional
Model of election, we have high expectations that this forum of open debate
between people of differing opinions will exist not only in parliament but in
all public institutions that are meant to protect and advocate for the public
interest.
The media still requires an Ombudsman who will protect individual rights,
public interest and freedom of expression. Such an Ombudsman may mediate
between media houses and aggrieved individuals to set conflict in its proper
perspective.
2002
Despite the growing trend for legal suits, a new English tabloid was registered
in February 2002. Its first issue, with a circulation of 1,000 copies, hit
the streets on May 23. It hopes to improve the fragile democracy of Lesotho
46 So This Is Democracy?