Lesotho Tribune can confirm that a coordinated digital attack was recently directed at its proprietor, Phafane Nkotsi, in what the newspaper views as a deliberate attempt to intimidate and silence an independent media institution.
The incident began with unauthorised security prompts and verification requests on Nkotsi’s personal Facebook account, followed by its sudden disablement under highly damaging allegations. The sequence and timing strongly suggest an effort to compromise the account in the mistaken belief that doing so would grant access to Lesotho Tribune’s official Facebook page, with the apparent objective of deleting or disabling the newspaper’s digital presence.
That assumption was incorrect.
Facebook’s own Page Transparency records confirm that Phafane Nkotsi is not an administrator of the Lesotho Tribune Facebook page. The page was created on 9 August 2021, has never changed its name, and is managed by a distributed team based primarily in Lesotho, with an additional administrator located outside the country. Control of the page is therefore not dependent on any single individual’s personal account.
As a result, all Lesotho Tribune platforms remain active, secure, and fully operational.
The newspaper notes that this incident reflects a broader and increasingly dangerous trend in which journalists and publishers are targeted through digital means rather than open engagement or lawful challenge. Instead of rebutting reporting, powerful interests resort to account takeovers, malicious reporting, and reputational smears designed to remove journalists from public platforms altogether.
Such tactics amount to a form of digital intimidation and indirect censorship. While less visible than physical threats or legal harassment, they are no less effective in undermining press freedom, particularly in environments where social media platforms are central to news distribution and public discourse.
Lesotho Tribune views the abuse of platform enforcement systems to suppress journalism as a serious threat to democratic accountability. When journalists can be silenced through coordinated digital attacks or false reporting mechanisms, the public’s right to information is placed at risk.
The newspaper is engaging relevant channels to address the abuse of digital platforms involved in this incident. It nonetheless wishes to assure readers that its editorial independence, investigative work, and commitment to public-interest reporting remain unchanged.
Attempts to silence journalism often expose the very interests they seek to protect.
Lesotho Tribune will continue to publish without fear or favour.
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