Disgusted By Front Page

I AM a reader of The Namibian and have so far regarded it as the best source of information in our country.

Although I am German speaking, I find The Namibian voices my opinion on many issues and I count myself as one of the few Namibians who have succeeded in changing and adapting to the ‘after-Apartheid era’. I was, however, appalled at the sight of today’s front page.The Namibian today (Thursday, January 15) looks like a tabloid, exploiting others suffering to entertain.I always thought your newspaper was not mainly about sensationalism, but about informing and educating the public.This is not the idea behind this picture.What about the relatives of that person? How can it be justified that a member of the Special Field Force (or who ever is “assisting/helping”) is grinning? Just because he is going to be in the newspaper? And then you promise “more reports and photos on the Windhoek deluge” in tomorrow’s paper.As far as I am concerned, and a lot of my colleagues agree on this one, I will NOT buy The Namibian in future, if this is the message it sends.To report on some of the fantastic effects of the rains in our country would probably not be newsworthy enough? I sincerely hope that this is a one-time only and I would appreciate a comment from your side, being the journalists.- Maggie Reiff – via emailNote: Please see response from editorial on website (national stories).- EdI was, however, appalled at the sight of today’s front page. The Namibian today (Thursday, January 15) looks like a tabloid, exploiting others suffering to entertain. I always thought your newspaper was not mainly about sensationalism, but about informing and educating the public. This is not the idea behind this picture. What about the relatives of that person? How can it be justified that a member of the Special Field Force (or who ever is “assisting/helping”) is grinning? Just because he is going to be in the newspaper? And then you promise “more reports and photos on the Windhoek deluge” in tomorrow’s paper. As far as I am concerned, and a lot of my colleagues agree on this one, I will NOT buy The Namibian in future, if this is the message it sends. To report on some of the fantastic effects of the rains in our country would probably not be newsworthy enough? I sincerely hope that this is a one-time only and I would appreciate a comment from your side, being the journalists.- Maggie Reiff – via email Note: Please see response from editorial on website (national stories). – Ed