By Zweli Martin Dlamini
Africa-Press – Eswatini. Credibility is one of the basic principles that every journalist must uphold and defend, we have journalists in this country who sold their independence to SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff and, they found themselves defending him in the drugs shortage scandal.
Ashraff is an alleged multibillion thief who collapsed the country’s public health system and, there’s overwhelming evidence to substantiate these allegations, of course he wouldn’t have stolen such huge amounts of money without sharing with some of his friends including King Mswati.
Now, he is using his corrupt network including the State controlled media to evade accountability but, as long as the health crisis escalates or deepens, the focus will remain on SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff.
It should be noted that, there’s absolutely no way emaSwati could be killed through this deliberate deprivation of the right to health care without any consequences and/or accountability.
But I am particularly concerned with the conduct of some State controlled journalists who think, under the current situation, emaSwati could objectively read a ‘cooked’ article defending Kareem Ashraff.
The independent media ended the monopoly or control of the media where corrupt and powerful individuals would just bribe journalists of the print media to control the narrative.
As a result, Kareem Ashraff has absolutely nowhere to hide and we demand the urgent supply of drugs in public hospitals.
It is of paramount importance to remind journalists that, defending the ongoing social injustice amid shortage of drugs in public hospitals amount to being complicit to the crime, our role is to act in the public interest not to defend alleged thieves.
But in conclusion, let me remind the State controlled journalists who long lost credibility that, the foundation of journalism or the media is credibility, journalism is a transparent and practical career.
In this regard, if you are captured or defending oppression and social injustice, the readers will be able to see through your writings and, once you start reminding people about stories you wrote in the 1980s or 1990s trying to convince them that, you are a real journalist, then you must know you have lost credibility.
What are you doing now as a journalist to address or amplify the voices of emaSwati dying in public hospitals amid shortage of drugs?.
Indeed, credibility can be considered a basic principle, particularly in contexts like information evaluation, communication, and even scientific research.
Furthermore, credibility essentially refers to the quality of being trusted and believed, and is a fundamental aspect of how the public assess the value and reliability of information.
As a State controlled journalist, if you know you have long lost credibility, don’t waste your time defending SwaziPharm Kareem Ashraff because no one will believe you, that multibillion drugs shortage alleged thief must be arrested for allegedly killing emaSwati.
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