Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Service is the state-owned broadcast and print information provider of

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its ...

, which essentially wields total control over all media within the country. It was founded in 1966 as a radio broadcaster, and was merged with print media in the early 1970s. It is a member of the

Commonwealth Broadcasting Association The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) is a representative body for public service broadcasters throughout the Commonwealth, founded in 1945. A not-for-profit non-government organisation, the CBA is funded by subscriptions from 102 mem ...

. Since 1991, it has been under the Ministry of Broadcasting, Information and Tourism, and is responsible for: # Radio and television broadcasting services; # Newspapers, magazines, and other printed governmental publications; # Government information services, including internet; # Accreditation of foreign news reporters and correspondents operating in Eswatini.

Eswatini Television Authority

The Eswatini Television Authority runs a station known as "Eswatini TV". It was officially started by

King Sobhuza II Sobhuza II, (; also known as Nkhotfotjeni, Mona; 22 July 1899 – 21 August 1982) was the Paramount Chief and later Ngwenyama of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. Sobhuza was ...

in February 1978 as the Swaziland Television Broadcasting Corporation (STBC). Before that, the station had been run by a private company. In 1983, the Swazi Parliament created the Eswatini Television Authority.

Phesheya Dube

Phesheya Dube was a Swazi

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

who pretended that he reported from the midst of the fighting in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesipho ...

during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Henley, Jon 1 April 2003
"The Language of War: Live from Baghdad"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', accessed 19 February 2010 When the war in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

started, Dube began to send "live" reports from

to the ''Morning Show'' of Radio Eswatini. Program host Moses Matsebula even told him to take care of himself and once instructed him to find a cave to hide from the missiles. He also asked listeners to pray for Dube when the station appeared to have lost contact with him. In March 2003, legislators in the Eswatini parliament spotted Dube outside parliament. MP Jojo Dlamini demanded an explanation from Information Minister Mntomzima Dlamini in the House of Assembly. Dlamini said he would investigate and later reprimanded Dube. Dube had been broadcasting live from his home. He had based his reports on international news stories and rehashed them into his own material. Dube continued to work for Radio Eswatini in other capacities.

References

External links

Official website

Eswatini TV
{{Media in Eswatini Publicly funded broadcasters Television companies of Eswatini Mass media in Eswatini Radio stations established in 1966 Television channels and stations established in 1966 State media