Lobamba- Mbabane East Member of Parliament (MP) Welcome Dlamini has called on government to establish a legal framework to regulate the country’s growing number of online publications, arguing that the absence of oversight has created room for unethical reporting, defamation and harmful online content.
Speaking during debate on the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology Portfolio Committee’s First Quarter Performance Report, Dlamini said the rapid growth of digital platforms, driven by widespread access to smartphones and affordable internet, had made it possible for virtually anyone to establish an online publication without meeting professional journalistic standards.
He said while the digital media landscape had expanded access to information, it had also resulted in a proliferation of online publications operating without licences, physical offices or trained journalists.
“The mushrooming of online publications needs to be regulated because everyone with a smartphone and data can wake up and start a publication,” Dlamini said.
He expressed concern that some online platforms were being used to tarnish people’s reputations through defamatory content, while victims often had little or no legal recourse because the individuals behind such publications could not easily be identified.
“There is a growing number of publications defaming people’s characters, and there is no legal route one can take because you do not even know who is writing these stories. There are no physical offices,” he said.
Dlamini urged the Ministry to consider introducing legislation that would provide oversight of online publications while promoting accountability and ethical journalism.
He argued that many of those operating online publications lacked formal journalism training and did not adhere to professional ethics, creating an environment where misinformation and irresponsible reporting could flourish.
The MP also raised concerns about the impact of unregulated online content on young people, calling on government to strengthen measures aimed at protecting children from harmful material on digital platforms.
He said authorities should put safeguards in place to shield underage users from content promoting gangsterism, hate speech and cyberbullying.
“We cannot leave our children exposed to harmful online content such as gangsterism, hate speech and cyberbullying,” Dlamini said, while asking the Ministry to outline what initiatives were in place to protect children in the digital space.
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