Media freedom monitoring
Monitoring media freedom has been one of MISA Lesotho core activities since the organisation’s establishment in 1995.
To do this, we compile and publish accurate and detailed media violations and victories: that is, we record media freedom abuses as well as progress towards a free, independent, diverse and pluralistic media as envisaged by the Windhoek Declaration.
Media violations are issued in the form of alerts to educate people about the nature of the abuse and highlight trends. Alerts can also serve as advocacy tools and inform research to help influence changes to legislation and policy, as well as help bring perpetrators to justice.
Media violations include:
- when journalists are physically or verbally assaulted, threatened, injured, kidnapped, disappear, arrested, killed, censored, denied credentials or wrongfully expelled during the course of their work or as a direct result of their work
- when news outlets are attacked, illegally searched, censored, closed by force, raided, unable to report, broadcast or publish because of factors such as the confiscation of equipment, blocking of their online site or the jamming of transmissions
- when new legislation or changes to legislation hinder journalists from conducting their work freely and without fear.
We use this information to compile the MISA regional report, So this is Democracy? which ranks and measures the performance of Lesotho against other countries in the Southern African region.
Media freedom monitoring news from our chapters
Zambia’s Cyber Bills: A Cautionary Tale for Lesotho
By Lerato Lebakae As the digital landscape evolves, Southern African countries are racing to pass legislation addressing cyber risks, data protection and digital communication. The Zambia's Cyber Bills offer a valuable lesson for many countries in Africa pursuing...
Recent Attacks on Media by Public Officials
To All Media Houses The Lesotho Chapter of Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Lesotho) strongly objects to the recent remarks made by the public officials that undermine the essential role of the media in a democratic society, particularly their attempts to...
Prof Mahao chastises media, CSOs over “capture”
Maleshoane Ratsebe Professor Nqosa Mahao, the leader of Basotho Action Party (BAP), has lambasted both the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) for “losing their independence” and gradually becoming irrelevant to society “for they are captured under the...
NGOs and corporates, it’s time to acknowledge the media’s sacrifices
Kananelo Boloetse In December last year, MISA Lesotho, with the generous support of the Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) and the Network of Early Childhood Development of Lesotho (NECDOL), hosted the inaugural Journalism Excellence Awards. It was a truly remarkable and...
Media Statement on Commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) in Lesotho
The Media Institute of Southern Africa in Lesotho (MISA Lesotho) issues this statement in commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2024. IDUAI was proclaimed on October 15, 2019, at the 74th United Nations General Assembly to...