broadcasting system – public, private, commercial and community - does not spell out licencing and market entry procedures. It is important to note that broadcasting is not regulated by an independent body. Board members to the Lesotho Communications Authority are appointed by the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology which does not consult with civil society organisations or stakeholders or even the public regarding such appointments. The state broadcaster, Lesotho Television, does not have a board, leaving all operational and policy decisions to the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology. The Lesotho Communications Authority also regulates broadcasting licences and there is limited knowledge of how the process actually works. Community radio broadcasting in Lesotho is still young and the inauguration of stations such as the Mafeteng Community Radio Station in May 2012 pays testimony to the various ambitions individual communities might have. Like other laws in the country, there was very little discussion on the broadcasting law and this is evident from the fact that very few people, including journalists, knew about the enactment of the law in April 2012. In terms of media and journalism professionalism, factors such as lack of proper training, lack of incentive around working conditions and salaries, corruption and government interference, have affected the quality of journalists and nature of media output in Lesotho. Other issues affecting the standard of reporting include lack of resources (human, technical and financial), lack of communication between editors and journalists, poor choices on the part of media owners who hire untrained journalists to cut costs. Selection of stories is often biased, focuses on urban areas, dictated by scandal rather than important issues and often defined by unwillingness to carry out extensive and in-depth reporting. Media regulation remains a challenge in Lesotho. There exists a provision for the establishment of a Broadcast Disputes Resolution Panel whose mandate is to develop a broadcast code of content and to deal with all disputes regarding content. Appointments of members of the panel are yet to be made. Attempts by MISA to set up a self-regulatory body have been met with resistance because of differences of opinions between media practitioners on how it would be run. However, MISA has been central in the drafting of a ‘Media Policy’ which seeks to set out the operating framework for media in Lesotho. At the time of publishing this report, MISA had just made another presentation to the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology. Hopes remain high that the draft media policy will be tabled before cabinet early 2013. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2012 9