By Emilia Mbishi
Windhoek, 2 Nov. – Many journalists in the world have been killed because they wanted to educate and entertain the world, and the day to end impunity against persecuting journalists must come.
Jemima Beaukes said: “In most cases journalists have been persecuted and even murdered for doing their work. They have been called liars in Namibia and they are under threat as media houses scale down operations so there is a need for a union.
“Working conditions at small scale media houses or private houses that take advantage of journalists and some news room look very dark and that needs to be addressed and a union is needed at this point”.
Zoe Titus of the Namibia Media Trust said “there must be conductive environment for the media, and journalists report the news but today the journalist are the news”.
“Namibia is ranked 18 on the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom rankings and number two in Africa, making it one of the safest countries in Africa for journalists,” said Titus.
Ending impunity for crimes against journalists is one of the most pressing issues to guarantee freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens.
Between 2006 and 2020, more than 1 200 journalists were killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public.
In nine out of 10 cases the killers went unpunished, according to the UNESCO observatory of killed journalists and impunity against the perpetratos leads to more killings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems.
