On-message with a mission 0 There have been conflicting reports in recent weeks regarding pronouncements by government’s chief spokesperson and information minister Tjekero Tweya regarding media freedom. Newspapers firstly quoted Tweya as saying that his ministry will drive an agenda to put in place a statutory body to “ensure that the media are held responsible and do not get away with murder”. He said this is “in the event [that] they [the media] abuse their power to write, report and broadcast and making themselves guilty of defamation and slander of people’s character in public”.
He, however, made a U-turn in a new statement wherein he lashed out at the media, claiming that he does not oppose media freedom and had only sent out a warning for journalists to maintain high standards. A day after his initial comment that suggested that government was to introduce a statutory body to control the media, presidential spokesperson Albertus Aochamub stated on social media that self-regulation of the media is fully supported in the context of the Code of Ethics for Namibian Journalists. Last week President Hage Geingob was also in total concurrence with the views shared by his spokesperson when he blasted his ministers, including Tweya, to be careful about what they say in the media.
In most cases communication to the media is not well coordinated with the spokespersons of ministries, accounting officers and political heads all giving different perspectives on certain matters.
Although government communication with the media has improved over the years, there is a need to ensure that leaders give messages that are relevant and credible at all times. Politicians should be on-message to ensure that their message – be it a government pronouncement – is delivered with consistency. It is really laughable and embarrassing for an information minister to be castigated in public for remarks made in the media.
A revamped strategic communication approach is necessary to ensure that government succeeds in the way it communicates its policy objectives, amongst others to the wider citizenry, through the media. A proactive approach is also an essential communication strategy for good governance.