(MISA/IFEX) – On 7 June 2004, Minister of Home Affairs and Public Safety Thomas Motsoahae Thabane contacted MISA-Lesotho’s chairperson with regards to a front page article that appeared in “The Mirror” newspaper (volume 18, number 23 of 2-8 June 2004), entitled, “Thabane Gets Slap in the Face”. The article made reference to an incident where […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 7 June 2004, Minister of Home Affairs and Public Safety Thomas Motsoahae Thabane contacted MISA-Lesotho’s chairperson with regards to a front page article that appeared in “The Mirror” newspaper (volume 18, number 23 of 2-8 June 2004), entitled, “Thabane Gets Slap in the Face”.
The article made reference to an incident where the minister publicly denounced Radio Lesotho’s current affairs editor, Nthabeleng Sefako, on air. The incident was cited at the 10th meeting of the Press Club of Lesotho, where MISA-Lesotho officially launched its campaign for the transformation of Radio Lesotho into a public broadcaster. MISA Lesotho’s Information and Research Officer, Tom Mapesela, cited Minister Thabane’s actions as an example that illustrated the need to transform the state-owned radio into a public broadcaster.
However, “The Mirror” had wrongfully reported that MISA-Lesotho’s chairperson, rather than its information officer, had cited the example. The minister was seeking further clarification from the chairperson with regard to this issue and the chairperson has requested that “The Mirror” publish a correction of the statements made at the Press Club meeting. “The Mirror”‘s sub-editor, Tlali Caswell, has acknowledged the mistake and has undertaken to publish a correction in this week’s edition of the newspaper.
Nevertheless, whether the information officer or the chairperson was quoted, MISA Lesotho’s position is that the minister’s utterances were tantamount to a violation of media freedom.
