However, this process was impeded, when, in preparation for elections, parliament was dissolved before the bill could be passed into law.(3) In the post-election period, there is an expectation that Lesotho’s incoming leadership will continue to engage with the dogging issues of floor crossing, coalitions and formation of governments. As suggested in The Conversation: “After the elections the new parliament must pass a new reforms law. Such a law … must carefully delineate the role of stakeholders such as government, other political players, civil society, experts, and, much more importantly, the public.” This reform process should also deliberate on removing limitations to freedom of expression while ensuring media freedom, access to information and the right to privacy become fundamental rights. Limitations to freedom of expression are on the grounds of security, public health and morality — and so this broad definition allows for the imposition of unwarranted restrictions. In practice, Lesotho has a weak framework to ensure human rights are protected in line with international standards, as it is yet to appoint a Human Rights Commission in 30 years. MEDIA PLURALISM AND DIVERSITY Despite a constitutional amendment, which seeks to ensure “the regulation of access to information held by the state, state organs, private entities or civil society in order to realise the right”, the absence of a solid access to information law compromises media pluralism and diversity. This diversity of content is further compromised by the spate of attacks on the media in recent years. High levels of self-censorship and instances of corruption further hamper diversity of news. The tendency to focus on political leadership and powerful figures has resulted in community news and social justice issues being sidelined. Lesotho’s modest economy is unable to support a daily paper and this also points to the fact that the country’s revenue structures and streams are largely dependent on neighbouring South Africa, which in turn influences the way in which news is sourced, packaged and disseminated. MEDIA INDEPENDENCE Advertising plays a huge role in selfcensorship among journalists in Lesotho. With 80 percent of advertising revenue coming from the government, media outlets and journalists are unwilling to cause offence by holding the government accountable in any form or manner. The corporate sector holds the same sway and so the media overlook any instances of malfeasance and wrong doing by large companies who use the withdrawal of advertising revenue as a threat. This has significantly impacted on the independence and professionalism of the media. During an African Media Barometer workshop, which included media practitioners, civil society members pointed out the general bias in reporting in the country, especially in the statecontrolled media which tends to focus “solely on ministers and other government officials”. This partisan reporting is also evident in privately owned media as many journalists tend to focus on cultivating relationships with the powerful and elite, resulting in a propensity to overlook corruption. However, through the vigorous advocacy efforts made by MISA, an attempt was made to restore trust in the media through an election reporting pledge committing to professional and ethical journalism. The pledge, which was signed by journalists in the country, ahead of the elections, is also thought to have contributed to reduced tension between the media and state security agents and political activists. SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS Violence, threats, arbitrary arrests, intimidations and harassment of journalists by political activists and state security agents during the election cycles of the previous years have been omnipresent in Lesotho’s body politic. (4) However, the 2022 general elections bucked the trend, with no reports of any media violations. This is testament to the advocacy work that was done by organisations such as MISA Lesotho and UNESCO ahead of the elections. In 2022, 43