SECTOR 1 • Government plans to soon enact the Public Meetings and Processions Act, which restricts the holding of public gatherings and will therefore further limit free expression. • O wing to their lack of training and professional ethics, “journalists tend to go with the flow.” As a result, many journalists are less outspoken in light of the government’s hardened attitude towards free expression. Panellists felt that sections of the media had resisted the hardening of government’s stance against them, but noted that there was still a lot of selfrestraint and fear among citizens. “People will not get a job if their views are known,” one panellist argued. An example “People will was given of students who were supposed to be attached to a not get a job if government ministry, but the ministry only accepted those who their views are were believed to be sympathetic to the ruling party. “You don’t have to be affiliated to a particular political party for this sort of known” thing to happen. It happens even if you openly take offence to something, such as poor service delivery,” it was stated. Between 2007 and 2010, the private radio station, People’s Choice (PC) FM, became more assertive, and listeners aired their views more freely through phone in programmes. This stand, however, has resulted in PC FM losing government advertising. One of the panellists lamented that “The people who call the radio are regulars who can do nothing but fight because they have lost everything already.” Members of the public tend to express themselves more openly through radio, as opposed to using print media. One of the reasons offered for this trend is that the print media is too scared of losing advertising. Meanwhile, the state media does not dare report on the opposition parties. It was said that the Minister of Principle Secretary (PS) will call the news desk if he/she hears that a journalist is attending an opposition party press conference. “Ethically you loose everything. Everybody is so scared.” Furthermore, there is “a Sesotho way of speaking.” “You don’t call an elderly person names - it doesn’t matter how bad that person is. And you have to respect the person who is listening to you,” one panellist noted, highlighting the cultural aspects of freedom of expression. Added to this, talking openly to young people on issues of sex and sexuality is required in addressing topics such as HIV and AIDS, but this open way of talking is seen as a taboo in the cultural context. As such, freedom of expression is also hampered in this way. 12 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2010