By Sikhulile Dlamini
MBABANE – United Nations Resident coordinator, George Wachiri says the media in Eswatini has a role in reporting about climate change as it is a pressing issue these days.
Wachiri was speaking during the first day of the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day held at the United Nations (UN) House today (2 May 2024) . The event has been organized by the Editors forum and media practitioners including media students from the local universities are the main guests.
Under the theme “A press for the planet’, Wachiri says the idea under this theme is how journalist as people who analyze and inform the world can be come seized of the crisis that we live in today which is climate change and the devastation it is causing.
“Analysis prove that every year we delay action, it is going to cost us even more, so if we had started doing things we were supposed to be doing 20 years ago, the devastation we are facing now would be less”. Wachira explained.
On another note, part of the discussions today were on media self -regulation. Chairperson of the editors forum, Mbongeni Mbingo said media self -regulation is an essential part of media and everyone will have to be part of self -regulatory structure.
“Journalists must have code of ethics and code that must be followed and the media must keep its self-accountable as a way of regulating its self” Mbingo said.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Phesheya Dube who was part of the gathering also emphasized that media works best when it regulates itself, free from government. He said the government prides itself on the Tinkhundla system which they believe to be democratic.
“In any democracy, it can never function very well when there is no robust media that regulates itself”. Dube said.
The World Press freedom day is commemorated every year on the 3rd of May.
