Media paying heavy price for bravery � Nasha
Mpho Mokwape | Wednesday November 18, 2015 15:19
Speaking at a Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Botswana gala dinner over the weekend, Nasha said the media houses that had “dared not to keep silent” were suffering financially from government’s ban on advertising.
“The media houses that have been brave enough in bringing attention to the ordinary Motswana, crucial and sometimes disturbing information, which probably would have gone unnoticed, are feeling the pinch of that bravery,” she said.
“The reality of that bravery is that some of those media houses continue to struggle financially as a result of withheld advertising from government and parastatal institutions, and without advertising the future of those entities will continue to be difficult and to some extent uncertain.”
She noted that there were numerous instances, where the media was pushed against the wall for publishing stories that were perceived by authorities as either reactionary or injurious to the unity, peace and tranquility of the country.
Nasha, a former journalist herself, explained that media house offices had been raided, equipment confiscated while journalists had spent uncomfortable nights in crowded prison cells with no explanations offered. “By fearlessly speaking out against such incidents and engaging members of the public in the process such as with the ‘Kalafatis’ issue, media endured a lot of slander, harassment and paid a heavy price.
“Still in a lot of instances the state lost cases in our courts of law, whilst others as it turned out, were created as some kind of elaborate smokescreen, only to quietly fizzle away with time,” she said.
Nasha said she felt pity for the journalists in the public media as many had faced unpleasant consequences in the past for associating with MISA, which is seen as disparaging and disrespectful to those in positions of power and responsibility.
She thanked the media for not keeping quiet and writing about such incidents as and when they happen.
“Imagine what would happen if we did not have an active media in this country? A dangerous culture of silence would be cultivated amongst our people,” she said.
Nasha also cautioned MISA to keep an eye open for the emergence of media moguls, saying a small population such as Botswana could not afford a situation where all, or the majority of media houses are owned by one person or one entity.
Nasha said this would not be healthy for democracy.
“Other countries can afford such because they have reading and listening populations to back that up,” she said. “We cannot afford such monopolies. They will not be healthy for our democracy. “Members of the public, readers and listeners need to be informed and educated about such moves and their possible consequences, otherwise history will judge us harshly.”