be the five media bills drafted in 2007,
which are still gathering dust in the ICT
Ministry. There will also be a thorough
review of the 33 laws that curtail media
freedom.
With the dropping of journalism standards, the Institute sets out to strengthen
media bodies such as SNAJ, MWUS and
SEF. It intends to resuscitate the Media Women Association of Swaziland
(MWASA) to tackle gender inequality
issues in the newsrooms. Practical training courses will be organised to equip
young journalists with journalistic skills.
This is imperative in the wake of fake
news and alternative facts. Investigative
journalism and human rights training
will form an integral part of the journalism training. Training in the safety of
journalists will also be included to empower journalists in the line of duty.
As government tightens its grip on stateowned broadcast media, lawmakers and
civil society actors now understand the
need for a public service broadcaster,
where the public speaks to itself. People are tired of the propaganda churned
out by the state broadcasters. Finally,
the mainstream media need to up their
game if they are to withstand the competition posed by social media.

100

So This is Democracy? 2016

Select target paragraph3