Minister Pledges Partnership With Media

Meeting with the country's journalists for the first time since his appointment as Communications Minister, Mr. Thabane pledged his willingness for a partnership with the media, which partnership would enable the country to move out of the critical depths of poverty that she finds herself in.

"We are one nation that shares all: our country's poverty; stock theft and HIV/AIDS,  all these affects all of us, and to defeat them all, we have to join hands," the Minister said.

With their writing and reports, the media could change the face of Lesotho either to the good or to the worse,  and working together they would be in a position to advise each other, be able to show where one has gone wrong without appearing to be unduly critical. The partnership would also allow for good working relations between the media and the Ministry of Communications, enabling both parties to have first hand information.

Mr Thabane appealed to the media to work to professional standards, promising to help in the training of staff from the privately owned media, time and resources permitting. This was in response concerns from the private media  that they are always left out of training workshops government conducts for staff in the state media.

There would also be no discrimination against the privately owned media as regards government information. As soon as whatever embargo had been placed on the news was removed, all media outlets would be made aware, the Minister promised.

07 December 2004