 Front page of 31 October 2016 issue | |
| Type | Dailynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | New Era Publication Corporation |
| Editor | Festus Nakatana |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Windhoek,Namibia |
| Circulation | 9,000 daily 11,000 Fridays |
| Website | neweralive |
TheNew Era is a daily national newspaper owned by the government ofNamibia.[1] The newspaper is one of four daily national newspapers in the country, the others beingThe Namibian (English andOshiwambo),Die Republikein (Afrikaans) andAllgemeine Zeitung (German).[2]
New Era was created by theNew Era Publications Corporation Act of 1992.[3] According to Ullamaija Kivikuru, it copied the format ofThe Namibian in order to establish credibility. The two newspapers still resemble each other in having long stories spread over several pages.[4]
New Era has a usual circulation of 9,000, going up to 11,000 on Fridays.[3] It was established as a weekly newspaper and was later published only bi-weekly. It has appeared daily since 2004.[3]New Era is published inEnglish and five indigenous languages:Otjiherero,Oshiwambo,Damara/Nama,Silozi, andKhwedam.[3]
New Era is published by the New Era Publication Corporation, which is owned by theGovernment of Namibia. The Minister of Information and Communication Technology has the ability to appoint and discharge members of the board of directors. Several researchers report that government ministers have acted as direct owners of the newspaper, telephoning the editorial department about articles that have criticised them.[5][6] Because of this, the newspaper is perceived to beSWAPO-friendly, and is "often reproached for being biased in favour of the government."[5] However, a 2006 study by Swedish students foundNew Era to be "more critical and fierce" thanThe Namibian. This analysis was based on only two opinion pieces per newspaper though.[7]
The managing editor ofNew Era is Festus Nakatana.[8]