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
Escalating cases of harassment of journalists in Lesotho
MISA Lesotho issues this statement to express our grave concern over the growing rate of harassment of journalists in Lesotho. The recent case of the 357FM’s Lebese Molati marks the peak at which media freedom is under threat imposed by those who wield power. Molati...
Media Statement on Shooting of Newsday Journalist Ntsoaki Motaung by Police
MISA Lesotho has learned with grave concern about the shooting of the Newsday newspaper journalist Ntsoaki Motaung by members of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) during the youth protest dubbed #BachaShutDown on Friday November 6th 2020. The Institute further...
MISA Lesotho Position Paper on Proposed Promulgation of LCA (Internet Broadcasting) Rules 2020
The Chief Executive Officer Lesotho Communications Authority 30 Princess Margaret Road Old Europa, Maseru Dear Madam, MISA Lesotho Position Paper on Proposed Promulgation of LCA (Internet Broadcasting) Rules 2020 Cognizant of, the fact that the advent of ICT and the...
Media Statement on Utterance by BNP Deputy Leader and Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Hon. Machesetsa Mofomobe Against Newspaper Editors of Foreign Origins
September 22nd 2020 To All Media Houses This serves as an expression of concern by MISA Lesotho over unwillingness and lack of interest by Deputy Leader of Basotho National Party (BNP), who is also Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honourable Machesetsa Mofomobe, to...
World Press Freedom Day 2018
In commemoration of World Press Freedom day, the Media Institute of Southern Africa Lesotho Chapter (MISA Lesotho) held a one day event comprising of a Conference and participation on Global web chat. The event held at State Library American Corner in Maseru included...