Govt denies press muzzling claims amid explosive Beukes exit

Both the Presidency and information minister Emma Theofelus have denied explosive accusations by former New Era managing editor Johnathan Beukes that government actors began trampling on press freedoms by muzzling state media soon after the death of former president Hage Geingob in February.Beukes recently left New Era, just months after returning from a lengthy suspension that followed a series of articles last year questioning transparency in the appointment of judges to the High Court.Although reasons for his exit have not been made public, Namibian Sun understands that Beukes, who was facing charges related to his suspension, was offered a deal to resign or face dismissal if found guilty by a disciplinary hearing.In October last year, a month after Beukes' suspension, this publication reported that New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC) CEO Christof Maletsky had accused Beukes of insubordination, refusing to carry out lawful instructions and bringing the company into disrepute.News angles disputedIn a memo to the board of directors, Maletsky accused Beukes of ignoring several instructions for a change in how the newspaper reports issues – citing several news articles that he said contained opinions of the journalists who wrote them instead of simply sticking to news.“For some time now, I have been addressing my concerns as CEO and editor-in-chief of New Era about our professional conduct, in terms of writing, with the managing editor...,” Maletsky wrote at the time.Apart from stories being "contaminated" with opinions, the CEO also charged that New Era had “become a newspaper of leaks, instead of authoritative information-sharing".Maletsky, himself a veteran journalist, added: “Our front page is now reserved for negative news only. Such negative news is mainly about government and public enterprises, as well as local and regional councils.”He said his instructions for the newspaper to carry positive human interest stories on the front page were consistently ignored, leading to Beukes being suspended and charged.Scathing reviewOn Monday, Beukes issued a statement in which he made explosive claims, including allegations that the ministry of information was “muzzling” the work of journalists at New Era.“In exercising my right to freedom of expression and thought, as enshrined in the supreme law of the land, I am duty-bound to express my fear for the deterioration of media freedom and expression and the intolerance for grassroots, especially minority voices and the public interest, in this country of late,” he wrote.“The media should at all times operate without fear, favour or prejudice, irrespective of who funds them, more so those funded by hard-earned taxpayers’ dollars," he stressed."Decisions made by the government in the time immediately after president Hage Geingob's death leave a lot to be desired. It has just been months since his unfortunate demise and this government's commitment to press freedom is clearly on the wane considering the great lengths the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has gone to muzzle New Era's principled voice through a harebrained proposed merger with [Namibia Press Agency],” he added.To his former colleagues at New Era, Beukes said: “The censorship you'll inevitably be subjected to now, whether from your political overlords and their imposed administrators in general, God forbid self, should always be subject to the public interest.”‘Unsubstantiated’ claimsLate yesterday, the Presidency accused Beukes of falsely implying that President Nangolo Mbumba has not been a custodian of press freedom in the country since taking over from Geingob, who was widely viewed as a champion of press freedom. Geingob solidified this perception when he signed the Access to Information Act into law in late 2022.“The Presidency would like to encourage individuals not to fall for generalisations and the Namibian public should not fall victim to unsubstantiated allegations that are manufactured by individuals with an agenda only known to themselves,” it said in a statement issued yesterday afternoon. “In that vein, the Presidency would like to state that the generalisations by Mr Beukes about the president’s commitment to press freedom are misplaced, are a misrepresentation of facts and without substantiation,” the statement read, arguing that Mbumba has been an exemplary steward of Namibia’s democracy and will continue to uphold values such as press freedom.The fourth estateCommenting on allegations that her ministry was responsible for muzzling New Era, information minister Emma Theofelus said government has no intention of silencing the media."The government of the Republic of Namibia under the ministry of information and communication technology has no desire to censor the media in this country. The government values the media as a fourth estate and continues to champion free press as it calls for media ethics in the industry," she said.The ministry, in its own statement yesterday, said its contact with New Era ends at board and policy levels, and does not delve into operations.'Controlling the narrative'On its part, the Namibia Media Professionals Union (Nampu) has strongly condemned what it called the "forced removal" of Beukes from his position.This development, according to Nampu, marked a dangerous escalation of political interference and censorship in Namibia’s media landscape."Namibia has long been a symbol of media freedom, both in Africa and globally. To see this legacy eroded so blatantly is deeply concerning. The removal of Johnathan Beukes from his position at New Era is not only a direct attack on the integrity of one of our nation’s key public media institutions but also a clear sign that political forces are increasingly controlling the narrative at a time when impartial reporting is needed the most," said Jemima Beukes, Nampu's acting secretary-general.Meanwhile, Nampa head of commercial services Confidence Musariri has been seconded to take over as managing editor at New Era, according to Nampa CEO Linus Chata's email communication to staff yesterday.

Govt denies press muzzling claims amid explosive Beukes exit

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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Govt denies press muzzling claims amid explosive Beukes exit

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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