The Unemployment Association of Zambia (UAZ) says statutory regulation of the media is detrimental to Zambia’s budding democracy.
Association president Mpundu Mwanamwelwa told ZANIS in Lusaka today that there is need for Press Freedom if democracy is to flourish in country.
Mr. Mwanamwelwa said statutory regulation would inhibit journalists and restrict the free flow of information.
He said impeding the media to carry out their set mandate would be to the detriment of the country as the role of the press as a watch-dog would be defeated.
Mr. Mwanamwelwa further said economic achievement and true democracy are elements that can not survive without divergence views which are brought forward through the media.
Mr. Mwanamwelwa said statutory regulation of the media would bar divergent views from being heard.
He said this scenario would impact negatively on the promotion of good governance and the fight against bad vices such as corruption.
Mr. Mwanamwelwa has since urged the public to condemn efforts aimed at bringing about statutory regulation of the media.
Government has said that media houses in the country have failed to regulate themselves and this had prompted the calls from various stakeholders for statutory regulation.
Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha has said that the failure by the media to regulate themselves was blatantly exhibited in the period running to the October 30 presidential election.
He challenged the Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ), Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ), among others, to prove that the media could regulate themselves.
Recently, members of Parliament (MPs) and the Government called for statutory regulation of the media following what they termed as unprofessional reporting in the period of campaigning for the October 30 polls.
On Monday, media bodies rejected calls by the Government for statutory regulation, saying the decision was misplaced and made out of emotions.
ENDS/VP/AM/ZANIS
Nummer eins. Sony Ericsson, o brother, where art thou?
2
…by a whisker, nambala two aint bad either!
Its sad to learn that FEW SELFISH PEOPLE WANT 2 REGULATE THE MEDIA AS THEY SAY.SO WHERE IS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION GOING TO BE THROWN TO?DICTATORSHIP WILL NOW COME AS WAS IN THE DAYS OF KK WHO AM TOLD IS A TEACHER BY PROFESSION.BUT WHICH TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE DID HE GO TO IN ZAMBIA?
VJ IS THE CAUSE FOR ALL THIS.CAN HE EXPLAIN WHY OF ALL COUNTRIES OUR PRESIDENT WENT 2 NIGERIA WHERE HE WAS WELCOME BY A MINISTER.IS THE PROPHECY NOW WAS VY?
VJ YOU SHALL PAY 4 THIS VERY SOON.
THE GVT IS THAT IT IS BEING EXPOSED TOO MUCH .WE NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ,NOW IF THE MEDIQA IS REGULATED IT MEANS THAT GOVT WILL HAVE ALOT TO HIDE AND GET AWAY WITH .IN CASE THEY DIDNT KNOW, THAT IS WHAT PRESS FREEDOM IS AND DEMOCRACY FOR THAT MATTER
#5 I MEANT TO SAY THE GOVT IS SCARED THAT IT IS BEING EXPOSED TOO MUCH
This story got my brain jammed, too much unnecessary terminology. LT please employ downright reporters who are easy to understand like Mingeli Palata. Some of your stories are too complicated to read.
MOB PAID BY THE POST.
#9 rats…
#7 Nine Chale this is ZANIS story, I can’t even bother to do the verb analysis about who “said” what…
there should be media regulation to ensure that ZANIS reporters actually know how to write
I feel and believe that journalist worth there salt would like to regulate themselves. Let the journalist come up with their own professional body that will be statutory and therein shall be a regulatory system. Other professionals have done this. Let us not be cheated that MECOZ, MISA, ZUJ and others can regulate the media. These clubs are toothless.I am not for the idea of govt coming up with a regulation law but I am for he idea were the media itself shall come up with a draft act to which all media practitioners shall suscribe. One of the first things and cardinal is to define who a journalist is. We do not want to see a stiuation were one is employed by ZNBC straight from school (secondary) as an announcer and three months down the line you watch him/her interviewing someone and calling him/herself a journalist. Regulation of the media (journalist) and other professionals is not just about surppressing them No! It even tackles which instititution of learning providing journalism, is it accredidated, is it comforming to journalism school standards. We do not want any Jim and Jack or is it Mulenga and Banda to call themselves journalist just becoz they at once published some school magazine No. So let the journalist come up with such a draft. I for one would not allow a none professional in the name of journalist to interview me or write anything about me just like I would not do that which is not in my profession. In medical because of regulation, it is not anyone that can certify that one is dead even when they know one has died. This is just an example when we are talking about regulation. The media shuold for example come up in their own regulation to say no one can become an editor unless he has attained such experience or such level of education in journalism.
It is very sad to see how the government works. People started crying sometime back about the way state media were corrupting our minds with government rhetoric and only reporting of things that the government wanted us to hear and they never wanted to put up any statutory regulation for the media. Now we have the giant Post Newspaper on their ass busy exposing their skeletons in the drawers and all the sudden to want to regulate the media. Come on Zambia, this sucks!
I respect press freedom but should it be unltd?Some will say when they defame u u sue but look at journalists like Shdreck Phiri once of sun newspapers.After accruing huge debts from judgements agaist them they just open another paper.Then look at the conduct of the ever sensational Post.From what we gather they even blackmail perceived enemies with their now popular “we shall destroy u”And why doesnt the media want to be regulated when they r in the forefront of calling for the regulation of everyone
There is high unprofessional reporting in both government and private media in Zambia exhibited during last election campaigns. If the Statutory Regulation will not only regulate private media, then carry on because they have failed to regulate themselves.
Am surprised that media bodies failed to advise after seeing this unprofessional reporting but now wants to refuse and say the decision was misplaced and made out of emotions. I don’t agree that “this decision is done out of emotion”
RB wants to bring dictatorial tendancies in Zambia.This is not a dictatorship Country.What is it that you want to hide for you to regulate the media.Let the media run independently.And those of you who might say the post was only covering Sata.Let it be known to you that,the post is in bussiness.So what they put as their headline determines their sales at the end of the day.Of the 3 presidential candidates,the most popular and the most apealing to the minds of the people was Sata.when Sata says something everyone wil want to read that.And that just put the post in good sales.period,so what happened prior to the elections should not a reason for this government to regulate the media,no.We shall rise and say no to dictarship!
nine chale you are right, the story is abused with funny terminology and you cant understand it well,you guys who have contributed explain to chale and myselfe in simpler terms,LT edit your stories before midnit..nalema…
first of all what is this unemployment association. what is its ojective. secondly what has it got to do with the press? Mu Zanbia chilandelande fye anyonr with a mouth can just go about and say anything totally irrelevant and get airplay.
#11 Sony Ericsson, OK, I see. I’m out for work now, bro. I will join you tommorrow.
#19 NINE CHALE or is it 9 chale you are the chaps who are not productive. all this time you spend on the blog kanshi you are using company resources, mambala iwe. i thought i Europe internet was cheap every body can afford. Boss ngana mubwela pa Africa. For your info Mauritius has been made a wifi Zone . You can surf the internet for free whereevr you are.
Call it any name, all we want is some kind of regulation on media institutions. It doesn’t exactly have to be statutory regulation but just some regulation so that everyone knows their limit. Lets face it gentlemen, whether you like RB or you hate him, what Membe did before and during the elections was way overboard. And its this kind of behavior were someone can attack another person in the name of freedom of speech. We all all want freedom of speech but just like any other good freedom, it must not infringe on other people’s freedoms. What if I said I also want to be granted the freedom to Kill? Are you going to give me that?
Unemployment (or is it UNEMPLOYABLE) association; what is it all about?
More importantly the media must be not just be seen to be championing their own cause without having any internal checks and balances. They need to aspire to professional levels before they demand press freedom. As it is they have failed to manage the current freedom they have, how can they be trusted to manage more press freedom? Look at the insults mmembe was hauling at nyama soya everyday during the elections; why didnt the press stand up to condemn such unprofesionalism? Because they are all a bunch of unprofessionals
Am back,
U know the farming issue. By the way am also unemployed.But am self employed.
#22 Sarah, that’s what am talking about. Now that’s my girl. Go ahead gal and educate these bloggers abit. Now we are speaking English.
come to think about it, what encapsulated good media practice? the obvious answer is unbiased dissermination of information. However abuse of such by media organisations is neither good for the industry nor the general public, therefore if need be then media regulation is fine, but the degree of regulation should not be to impend transparency. this is a sensitve issue that needs serious consideration. in a democracy like ours, press freedom is cardinal as this is the only way an ordinary citizen will get to know about matters affecting their daily living. lets hope to see a free media which has enough objectivity for national interest.
In practical terms, what does media regulation imply? I mean, what are the steps taken in this regulatory process?
gentlepersons, there are enough laws, as it were, to regulate the media. a government regulatory body is, at this juncture, not necessary. if someone is aggrieved by the way s/he is reported about, they can fall back on the existing laws. there is the law of defamation (tort), criminal defamation, the law of sedition, copyright laws, the official secrets act, etc. the problem with rbb is that he wants to bring back the unip mentality of conducting government business.
#22 Sara, how about a date, you know am a very single person.
what crap! too much focus on unecessary issues. LT get with the program and give us real issues.
Can one of you people advocating media regulation tell me where it will start and where it will end? Remember animal farm?
with how the post conducted itself during the election……not surprising. the media must simply report osati giving us their bloody opinions and saying they are fighting for the people…..post is making gazillions and has become too big.zambian airways any body?
Who will be regulating the regulators? Its not a coincedence that the governtment are only suggesting this in light of the neagative medai coverage that they recived in the run up to the elections and after! Their motivations seem suspect to me and look like a witch hunt and an attempt to suppress oppostition reporting! Does anyone truly belive that you can have an independent government regluatory body? Be honest you know you cant! RB is bringing back UNIP practices for sure!
Those of you poiniting out the post- how about the unregualated governemtn bias and propaganda spewed out on a daily basis by ZNBC, Sundat times, Times of Zambia and the Daily Mail??? it is shocking that you think one sided government reporting is good, yet condemn publications that attempt to hold the goverbment to account! you are clearly on the govt. pay roll or have been effectively brainwashed by government propaganda!
“Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha has said that the failure by the media to regulate themselves was blatantly exhibited in the period running to the October 30 presidential election.”
The regulation through statutory instruments is welcome. Encourage those media organisations to a proper instrument that will regulate their activities properly not these toothless organisations we have.
I welcome this. Where on earth can a government or anyone else call the insults and abuse the Post continued to shower on a party be called press freedom? Anywhere else he would have been made to account. No one is above the law. There is too much pseudo intellectualism in Zambia. I got a discussion on radio the other day where one, Emily Sikazwe, an NGO director, kept repeating that leaders should have a ‘thick skin’ over and over again, like a mantra. What? Everyone should be held accountable.
#12 PAFISENGE’s contribution is very valuable for those honestly after the the interest ya pa ZED.
The Accountants have recently done it to ensure there’s sanity in their profession through statutory regulation they themselves came up with. Journalists, rise to the ocassion before those that are defenslessly at the receiving end of the so called ‘press freedom’ come up some ill placed regulation.
By the way, those that think press freedom exists in where in the world need to think again.