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
MISA Lesotho Joins Regional Voices Advancing Digital Rights and Media Freedom at FIFAfrica 2025
MISA Lesotho joined regional and international actors in the digital rights and media freedom space at the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) 2025, held in Windhoek, Namibia, from 22 to 27 September 2025. The forum, hosted annually by the Collaboration on...
FACT-CHECK: Lesotho Embassy Job Advert in Nairobi is a Scam
By Nicole Tau A widely shared Facebook post claims that the “Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho in Nairobi, Kenya” has announced 1,000 job openings for both skilled and unskilled workers. The post lists positions ranging from drivers and cleaners to IT technicians and...
FACT-CHECK: No, Namibia Has Not Banned Lesbianism
By Nicole Tau A viral Facebook post claiming that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has banned lesbianism and issued a statement supporting the supposed law is false. A review of Namibia’s legal framework, official government communications, and confirmations from...
FALSE: Carbon dioxide generators in greenhouses does not mean the gas is good for the planet
A claim that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not bad because greenhouses use carbon dioxide generators is FALSE. A post on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that carbon dioxide (CO₂) is not bad for the planet because generators of the gas in greenhouses increase plant...
Fact-check: Statement addressing the issue of targeted politicians is from an imposter account, not Prime Minister Matekane
By Maleshoane Ratsebe A Facebook post allegedly by Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane addressing alleged political targets on members of parliament, Education Minister and United Africans Transformation (UAT) leader Mahali Phamotse, Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM)...