Namibian editors angered by US scrutiny over western media affiliation

A man reads a newspaper in Windhoek, Namibia. The editor of the Namibian said the US embassy email ‘was so blatant in trying to ask us whether we aligned with their agenda’. Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty

Namibian media outlets have reacted with anger and dismay after they were asked by the US embassy whether they were affiliated with western publications whose subscriptions have been cancelled by the US state department.

On 11 February, the state department ordered its outposts to cancel “non-mission critical” media subscriptions as part of the Trump administration’s drive to cut government costs.