By Zweli Martin Dlamini

It is often said that “journalists are powerful, they can either make or break you” but the truth is; power belongs to the people.

Indeed, the people holds the power to make a journalist or journalists powerful by providing information, without members of the public who act as sources of information, a journalist is literally useless.

A journalist becomes powerful based on public trust and credibility and once the people lose trust in particular journalist, that media practitioner becomes useless and will lose public confidence and influence.

In this country, we are seeing State journalists vigorously using the power of journalism to try and protect SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff and all the alleged thieves implicated in the multibillion drugs shortage scandal, this is done through systematic attacks targeting private and State institutions investigating corruption.

It is normal for corrupt thieves to run to the media in an attempt to clean their names, they think journalists have the power to shape public opinion, manipulate a ‘wrong’ and turn it into a ‘right’.

But journalists are not gods, as the media, we have an ethical obligation to act in the public interest because we are holding delegated powers to inform, power belongs to the people not journalists or the media.

It is important therefore, to remind journalists that, if you are holding the power of influence as a journalist, you must remember that, the people as the original owners of the power, can demote you anytime by refusing to provide the information that enables you to write articles and become powerful.

The State media in this country has dumped the people to push individual interests, instead of putting pressure on Government to arrest the alleged multibillion thieves and provide drugs in public hospitals, we are seeing journalists attacking State and private institutions investigating corruption and this is very unfortunate.

The media is expected to be the voice of the people but, we are seeing State journalists pushing the interests of corrupt cartels.

But as mentioned, power belongs to the people, all journalists in their individual capacity, must remember that it’s the people who provide information to us to strengthen our careers, without them we are nothing.