Tabloid not welcome at Miss Nam pageant

MISA Namibia’s National Director, Mathew Haikali, has expressed disappointment over the Miss Namibia beauty pageant organiser’s decision to refuse the weekly Informanté newspaper entry to the pageant.

Haikali says such an incident could not be described as anything other than discriminatory and a violation of freedom of speech. According to Informanté reporter Elvis Mboya, the organiser of the pageant, Conny Maritz, had made it clear that the paper would not be allowed to cover this year’s Miss Namibia pageant because of what she termed “negative publicity” it had given the event.The Namibian could not reach Maritz for comment.According to Haikali, Maritz told Misa telephonically that she would not allow any reporters from Informanté to conduct interviews about the pageant.”Any and all the reports done by the Informanté on the pageant and events around the pageant have been incorrect, unethical and untrue.For that reason they will not be invited,” Haikali quoted Maritz as saying.Contacted for comment, Informanté Editor Max Hamata described the matter as “absolute intolerance of freedom of expression and a clear attempt by the pageant organiser to compel journalists to just write what they want to read”.”They basically don’t want us to go in their closet and uncover their skeletons.This definitely relates to our past scrutiny of the beauty pageant,” said Hamata.According to Informanté reporter Elvis Mboya, the organiser of the pageant, Conny Maritz, had made it clear that the paper would not be allowed to cover this year’s Miss Namibia pageant because of what she termed “negative publicity” it had given the event.The Namibian could not reach Maritz for comment.According to Haikali, Maritz told Misa telephonically that she would not allow any reporters from Informanté to conduct interviews about the pageant.”Any and all the reports done by the Informanté on the pageant and events around the pageant have been incorrect, unethical and untrue.For that reason they will not be invited,” Haikali quoted Maritz as saying.Contacted for comment, Informanté Editor Max Hamata described the matter as “absolute intolerance of freedom of expression and a clear attempt by the pageant organiser to compel journalists to just write what they want to read”.”They basically don’t want us to go in their closet and uncover their skeletons.This definitely relates to our past scrutiny of the beauty pageant,” said Hamata.