Broadcasting Code will tame wayward sector

THE Broadcasting Code 2022 which came into force in April this year has been met with howls of protest from players in the broadcasting sector. Some of the radio stations now argue that they are being targeted with the ultimate goal of shutting them down.

But such a hysterical reaction to the Broadcasting Code 2022 will not be helpful to their cause. After reading through the Broadcasting Code 2022, we think this is an elegant piece of legislation that will finally bring order to a sector that has been extremely chaotic for years.

We see nothing that is at cross-purposes with our basic freedoms like the freedom of speech and of the press that are protected by the Constitution of Lesotho. Rather than restrict these basic freedoms, the new code will enhance such freedoms by ensuring that we have competent individuals behind the microphones at our radio stations and that we depoliticise radio stations.

We therefore see no reason to be hysterical about the new requirements. The Code says a broadcaster “shall recruit and retain presenters who have certification confirming journalistic training of no less than six months of continuous training from a registered and recognised institution”.

It also requires that editorial staff must have “certification confirming journalistic training of no less than two years of continuous training from a registered and recognised college or university”. In carrying out their duties a broadcaster must “ensure accuracy, balance, credibility, impartiality and fairness in their news and current affairs”.

These are basic requirements that the regulatory authorities are asking and we see no reason to raise alarm. We fully understand why the government of Lesotho has put in place these requirements. The idea is to tame a sector that has been a jungle for years.

This was a sector where anybody, without any training in journalism, could do as they pleased. The results of such an arrangement have not been pleasant. Without a basic appreciation of journalism, radio broadcasters were a law unto themselves. There were no basic standards upon which broadcasters could rely or be held accountable. They simply did as they pleased.

The results were complaints by aggrieved listeners whose reputations were often dragged in the mud. For those who felt aggrieved their only recourse was to sue in the courts of law, a process that was often costly and time consuming.

The Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) would time and again find itself locked in incessant battles with radio stations. The key in ensuring Lesotho moves in the right direction lies in enforcing the new requirements so that we have individuals who have a basic appreciation of how journalism works.

Like any other profession, there must be basic entry requirements before anyone is allowed to hold the mic. These individuals must have an appreciation of the ethical challenges that come with broadcasting. It would be an act of folly for any radio station to argue that they do not need trained journalists with solid academic credentials for them to be presenters. We find that argument to be extremely naïve and self-serving.

Radio stations, which have for years been associated with certain political parties, must see the bigger picture. That bigger picture entails accepting the need for reform or risk doing the same wrong things over and over again.
The days when radio stations would spew vitriol against political opponents are certainly coming to an end. Radio is a powerful tool. It cannot just be left in the hands of political hacks to defame political opponents.