If not for propaganda and looting, why must taxpayers fork out nearly N$70m more compared to last year for the NBC, Nampa and New Era? This year, the three institutions have been given N$365 million to spend, compared to just under N$300m in the 2023/24 financial year that ended in February. Moreover, the increases are planned for the next couple of years despite the government claiming it decided to merge Nampa and New Era to cut costs amid pressure in the changing media landscape. Nampa and New Era (both entities that depend on perennial bailouts) were showered with combined subsidies of N$30 million last year.
The bailouts have nearly doubled to N$55 million this year and are budgeted to continue at the same level for the next two years. The diversion of more public funds to these semi-autonomous news outlets will only fuel criticism that the government is intent on tightening its grip on the flow of information in its second attempt to set up a Zimbabwe-style propaganda news machinery that is often used to promote the ruling party. The budgeted amounts dwarf the accusation by New Era managing editor Johnathan Beukes, who recently parted ways with the newspaper, that the proposed merger of Nampa and New Era was a “hare-brained” plot by the information ministry to “muzzle New Era’s principled voice”.
With all due respect to Beukes and his journalism charges who keep trying to work as professionals guided by media ethical standards, New Era never had a principled v.