HE WAS 'delighted' by news of the appointment of a Media Ombudsman and
the initiation of a self-regulation process for the media, said the
Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Joel Kaapanda, at
a meeting with the Editors'Forum of Namibia (EFN), according to a report in The Namibian.
Eberhard Hofmann, Chair of the EFN, which recently announced the appointment of Clement Daniels, former Director of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) who is currently with the Namibia Standards Authority, as Media Ombudsman, informed Minister Kaapanda about the adoption of a Code of Ethics for the Media and a grievance procedure and handed him copies of the relevant documents.
The appointment had come at an "opportune" time when Namibia was preparing for presidential and general elections, said Minister Kaapanda.
"During this period, emotions sometimes get out of hand … and the period up to the announcement of the outcome of the elections may well keep the Media Ombudsman very busy," he added.
He said time would tell whether the Media Ombudsman was 'fair and credible'. Self-regulation mechanisms, he added, could educate the public and promote press freedom. It would also provide the public with a platform to air their grievances against "biased, inaccurate or inadequate reporting".
Click here to read the full report, posted on The Namibian's website.
