The Namibian
The Namibian is a the largest daily newspaper in Namibia.[1] It publishes in English and Oshiwambo.
It was established by Gwen Lister in 1985 as a weekly newspaper reliant on support of donors, which aimed to promote Namibian independence from South Africa. Its first edition appeared on 30 August of that year with a print run of 10,000.[2] The Namibian became a daily newspaper on April 1, 1989,[3] its circulation in 2010 was 40,000.[2]
The newspaper was perceived as overly critical and pro-SWAPO by the South African government. However, the critical approach of the paper was also disliked by the SWAPO government after independence. In 2000 and 2001, respectively, it was officially forbidden for state institutions to buy and to advertise in the most read paper of the country.[4]
A noteworthy feature of the Namibian are the SMS pages called "What you're saying". These pages dedicated to "short messages to the editor" allow citizens from all over Namibia to comment on and raise topics, since mobile phones are wide spread and cheaper and easier than mail or internet. According to former Editor Gwen Lister, the Namibian was the first paper to offer such an open forum for discussion via text message, since similar programmes at other media (e.g. in South Africa) only allowed to comment on chosen articles.[5]
On the 15th anniversary of its foundation, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan praised the newspaper: "The Namibian worked courageously in difficult and often dangerous conditions. Since then, it has contributed immeasurably to press freedom and nation-building in Namibia. Throughout, it has maintained its integrity and independent stance."[6]
The newspaper has offices in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Keetmanshop and Oshakati.[7]
Current editor of the paper is Tangeni Amupadhi. Prior to that, up until March 2010, the paper was headed by its founder Gwen Lister.[8]
References
- ^ du Pisani, André (2010). "The Namibian at 25". In Lister, Gwen (ed.). The Namibian 25th Anniversary Commemoration Magazine (supplement to The Namibian on 27 August 2010). pp. 4–7.
- ^ a b Christof, Maletzky (2010). "Lister on 25 years". In Lister, Gwen (ed.). The Namibian 25th Anniversary Commemoration Magazine (supplement to The Namibian on 27 August 2010). pp. 8–13.
- ^ van Holtz, Ulla (2010). "The Business Perspective". In Lister, Gwen (ed.). The Namibian 25th Anniversary Commemoration Magazine (supplement to The Namibian on 27 August 2010). p. 89.
- ^ Rothe, Andreas (2010): Media System and News Selection in Namibia. p. 29
- ^ Rothe, Andreas (2010): Media System and News Selection in Namibia. p. 31
- ^ [1]
- ^ Rothe, Andreas (2010): Media System and News Selection in Namibia. p. 29
- ^ Toivo Ndjebela: Amupadhi to edit The Namibian, in: New Era, 2 March 2010
External links
- The Namibian Official web site
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