By: Dwight Links
A new media industry analysis report on the threats to the local Namibian media industry identifies various threats to the sector as a whole.
Researchers Phillip Santos and Frederico Links note in their industry mapping threat report that these threats consist of legal and regulatory, political and institutional, economic and ownership, digital and technological, and societal and extra-legal threats.
“The role of news media and media tends to trigger resistance, especially from those in powerful positions whose decisions and actions may threaten or undermine the welfare of ordinary citizens,” indicates the report.
Tide of Legal Threats
One of the key threats faced by Namibian media stem from pre-independence laws, which are still in effect until such time legal challenges are made to alter them.
“The report highlights the potential threats posed by legacy or colonial and new laws with provisions that restrict the operations of the media or access to key information which is imperative to informed decision-making,” Santos notes.
The researchers note that although Namibia has been a relatively safe environment for media and journalism to be practiced, the sector has not been problem-free.
“It is possible that laws that undermine fundamental rights may still be used to disregard constitutional provisions depending on the obtaining sociopolitical and economic conditions,” the report adds.
Another point to consider is the recently gazetted Access to Information Act of 2022, which has vague indications of accessibility.
“Pullback conditions which subject affordances in the Act to provisions in other laws could be used to restrict access to information,” the authors note.
Highlighting Part 9 of the Act, they explain that it “outlines areas in which there is ‘prohibition of access to exempt information.’” This includes classified information, personal and other information of third parties, commercial and economic information of information holders and third parties, national security and defence, international relations, purposes of law enforcement, legally privileged documents, and ‘manifestly frivolous or vexatious requests.’
According to the report, Namibia’s own Communications Act 8 of 2009, chapter 5 provides for more worry as this leads to internal unchecked surveillance.
“Chapter 5, subsection 6, provides for the monitoring and interception of communications and thus, broadly allows for surveillance activities in the country. This concern was made even more real by the SIM registration requirements as per the April 2021 regulations under the Communications Act,” indicated the report.
Other Threats
State-owned media in Namibia, which is directly funded by the State, experiences considerable political influence on the affairs, operations and governance of each of the four main communications outfits: New Era, Namibia Broadcasting Corporation, Namibia Press Agency and Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia.
“An example emblematic of this phenomenon were reports about how a journalist who worked for the state-owned Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) was censured for asking a question about the Fishrot corruption case during a COVID-19 press conference,” states the report.
Economic threats are never far off either. From sketching the historical picture at the beginning of the report, making note of the ecosystem development that began with religious backing to inform African communities about key news events in various languages, to understanding the impact of limitations on the growth that new media ventures require, the report outlined the media’s somewhat delicate economic security.
“Namibia’s media landscape has long been considered conducive to expanding media freedom and free expression because of its pluralism and diversity. However, owing to the country’s small population and an even smaller market with disposable income, the economic security of the media is arguably fragile,” share the authors on the feasibility of advertising income and willingness to buy media subscriptions.
This leads to the landscape where state media is privileged in that they are not profit-oriented and constantly receive financial support from the government.
“The advertising-revenue-based business model has almost completely collapsed in Namibia. News media organisations, especially private and community media in the country, are struggling financially,” the report concludes.
