Media ombudsman to adjudicate complaints publicly

While there exists a general feeling that lax oversight systems enable the media fraternity to subvert accountability for their work, the press watchdog says media houses are not treated with kid gloves.This comes after the media ombudsman’s office announced that complaints against media houses will be adjudicated publicly.The office will make history tomorrow when it holds a public hearing in which the country’s biggest media house -the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) - is being challenged by the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority.NBC is accused of censoring/prohibiting members of the Ovambanderu community to use the title Ombara Otjitambi when referring to their leader Aletha Karikondua Nguvauva on national television and/or any of its radio stations. The NBC thus stands accused of failing to respect the right to self-identification of members of this community.The Media Complaints Committee, chaired by media ombudsman John Nakuta, will hear the case.Other committee members include Emilia Paulus, Gerald Johr, Manfred Naobeb and Nehemia Joseph.Room for improvementNakuta said the “media space doing well but there is room for improvement”.His role as media ombudsman is to ensure that members of the public who are aggrieved by media reports have an avenue for recourse as well as a recognised structure where they can lay complaints.During an Evening Review interview a fortnight ago, he said common complaints against media houses include inaccurate reporting and not doing enough research before stories are published.“The most common complaints include inaccurate reporting where journalists are sloppy and not doing enough research; they just want the story out there,” he said.He also lamented that some media houses do not implement rulings made by the media ombudsman. He refused to name and shame the culprits, however.The prevalence of social media, according to Nakuta, is also problematic when it comes to news sourcing.“You find journalists reporting directly from social media profiles of people without verifying that information or if an account indeed belongs to the person its attributed to. With the advent of fake accounts, journalists must be more vigilant,” he said.The media ombudsman further called on media houses to desist from reporting on matters involving themselves which are still being adjudicated.He also feels media houses should pay attention to their reporting styles when retracting stories.“If there is need for correction, you will see that media houses would tender an apology but that apology will not get the same prominence as the initial story that was published,” he pointed out.‘No external interference’With the increase of freelance journalists in the media space, Nakuta has his work cut out for him, especially because his office does not have the mandate to take on complaints involving freelance journalists.The media ombudsman has over the years faced accusations of not being independent, with some critics saying the office is biased towards media houses. Nakuta denied this, saying “the media ombudsman is fully independent and not attached to any media house”.“We have our challenges such as financial constraints that are blocking us from fully executing our mandate, but I can proudly say in terms of independence, there is no external interference,” he said.Namibia recently lost its long-held top spot as the freest press in Africa when it slipped to second place after being overtaken by Seychelles.However, on a more positive note, on the global rankings, Namibia moved up from 24th to 18th position.

Media ombudsman to adjudicate complaints publicly

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Media ombudsman to adjudicate complaints publicly

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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