Geingob puzzled by media absence

THE Editors’ Forum of Namibia (EFN) and media experts say relations between president Hage Geingob’s press team and the media fraternity are at an all-time low.

This comes after the presidential press team said the media would not be invited to a press conference on Covid-19 which Geingob addressed on Friday, resulting in the president asking on live television why there were no questions from the media.

Geingob seemed dumbstruck by the absence of journalists at the media briefing until his team told him the press was not invited “on mutual consensus”.

However, the press team did not tell the president they did not invite media due to the Covid-19 state of emergency regulations, which prohibit gatherings of more than 10 people, despite the Ministry of Justice saying media engagements of such a nature have to be treated differently in terms of attendance.

During the briefing, Geingob asked his team more than twice why no questions were being asked.

“Are there no questions? Where are they, or are they satisfied? Why are they not here, or is it by consensus?” he asked.

The president’s media team did not disclose that an announcement was sent to the media strictly prohibiting their attendance in line with Covid-19 regulations.

The president, seemingly uninformed, asked whether journalists were boycotting the conference. “What is happening? There is no press. Why?” he asked.

Press secretary Alfredo Hengari said the Presidency had agreed with the press to follow the conference online as regulations limit gatherings to 10 people.

EFN secretary general Ronelle Rademeyer on Saturday said the relationship between the press secretary and the media has deteriorated to the point of being untenable and toxic.

She said not inviting journalists was not in the best interest of the nation and there were a number of issues that needed clarification, and the media was not afforded the opportunity to do so.

“A virtual zoom media conference could have been arranged beforehand. Hengari and his team knew two weeks ago that the president would address the nation, and therefore had plenty of time to offer a virtual platform for journalists to pose questions,” Rademeyer said.

She added that Covid-19 begs for transparency and the country cannot fight a pandemic with “kindergarten mentalities”.

Namibia Media Trust exective chairperson Gwen Lister noted that while the safety of everyone, including journalists, is critical during the Covid-19 pandemic, they could and should preferably be present at presidential briefings or be given other forms of access for questions.

“I’m in full support of Covid-19 regulations including masks, social distancing and sanitising, but the maximum 10-people gatherings can be waived in such instances while numbers are kept to a minimum in order for media to have access,” she said.

Lister added that the role of journalism is more crucial than ever at this time, and journalists should ensure they don’t give up their right to inform.

“I also believe the 10 max gathering is to prevent closely crowded events like funerals, et cetera, where there is scant adherence to rules, and much depends on how we define the word in the context of press conferences. I would suggest the EFN and State House work together to ensure the presence of the media is realised at announcements by the president,” Lister said.

Hengari yesterday said it was “fiction” and “illogical” for anyone to try to imply that the absence of journalists at a public briefing that tried to comply with health advisories was an affront to transparency or media freedom.

He added that he took full responsibility for the fact that the Presidency had to comply with regulations and health experts’ advisories about limiting the number of people in one place.

He also said information technology personnel informed him it would not have been feasible to have journalists join the briefing through video-conference technology, and such an arrangement “would require capacities we don’t have”.