Zambian journalists today joined their colleagues globally in commemorating the World Press Freedom Day.
The theme for this year is “Potential of the media in fostering dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation.”
Speaking during the commemoration, Chief Government Spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha said the media should not be used to promote destructive agendas to be abused by its practitioners as this is as bad as abuse of state power.
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the media can either be a force of good or evil hence the need for the media to foster dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation cannot be overemphasized.[quote]
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, said it is important to develop a media industry that fosters unity and understanding in socio-economic development.
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the media should be a uniting force for the people of Zambia to develop the country in unity of purpose.
He said government would like to see increased media participation that includes positive criticism of government and its institutions.
He said the media has great potential which needs to be explored in order to make the media a platform for dialogue and a vehicle for understanding.
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the media must seriously examine the role they can play in inter-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding by eradicating hatred, ignorance and prejudices.
He said the media should utilize its potential to engage every Zambian to contribute to the betterment of Zambia as opposed to keeping them engaged in politics of hate.
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the media can do this if journalists develop high ethical standards. He said only a vibrant, independent, pluralistic, inclusive and fair media can contribute to dialogue and understanding.
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha has said they are too many slave wages in the private media industry. He said this is tantamount to abusing workers rights.
Speaking earlier, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia chairperson Henry Kabwe implored government to desist from mere political rhetoric and implement the media law reforms.
Mr. Kabwe said it was unfortunate that government has been slow in enacting media law reforms.
ENDS/PM/AM/ZANIS
Blah blah blah, what a blabbermouth.
Responsible journalism is key to development.
..and govt should afford the media a level playing field for the media.
Following “He said the media should utilize its potential to engage every Zambian to contribute to the betterment of Zambia as opposed to keeping them engaged in politics of hate“, some media organisations like LT and Zambianwatchdog have done a great job in providing Zambians with an opportunity to share their views on how things are evolving in Zambia following our government. However, other media organisations have abused the system by perfecting their art to appear as victims of GRZ power while they lobby sympathy from the public to achieve things in bad ways.
Whatever, the issue ethics is an important one to look at. I hope media organisations will check themselves on this one.
The electronic media can be very dangerous. In Rwanda it fueld the genocide. So guys in the media , report WISELY
IT IS NOT A JOKE RIGHT NOW ALL PEOPLE ARE THINKING OF IS LETS FIX THE MMD, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TERMED ENEMIES OF ZAMBIA. WE WILL HAVE TO ADMIT THE MMD ARE NOT A FLOCK OF ANGLES AND THEY HAVE MADE ALOT OF BAD CHOICES. BUT WHAT WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND IS THAT NO ONE PARTY WILL EVER BE IN POWER AND PLEASE EVERYBODY SO WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO MMD WILL BE DONE TO THEM IF NOT WELL TAKEN THINGS IN ZAMBIA COULD COME TO A POINT WHERE CIVIL WAR WILL BE EMINENT. WELL SOME PEOPLE SAY MAYBE WE NEED THAT, I THINK WE DONT. SO JOURNALISTS SHOULD JUST REPORT NEWS AND NOT INCITE ONE GROUP AGAINST ANOTHER, BRAND OTHERS LEPORS WHEN LEPROSY IS IN THE MIDDEST OF PEOPLE THE PERSON TO NEXT CATCH IT IS NEVER KNOWN. RONNIES IS RIGHT LETS UNIT AND DEVELOP ZAMBIA COLLECTIVELY THROUGH DIALOGUE.
let me read
PERSONALLY I AGREE THAT THE MEDIA IS NO DIFFERENT FROM A GORVENMENT BECAUSE THEY HAVE PEOPLE FOLLOWING THEIR NEWS. IF THEY ABUSE THE MEDIA TO MEET THEIR OWN DESIRES THEY ARE NOT ANY DIFFERENT FROM POLITICIANS, IF ANYTHING THEY ARE THE MOST POPULAR POLITICIANS AS PEOPLE FOLLOW WHAT THEY SAY EVERYDAY RIGHT OR WRONG IT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THE PEACE AND FACTUAL NEWS NOT TO INCITE OR INSULT OR JUDGE OR BELITTLE OR ACT AS THOUGH THEY ARE HOLIER THAN THOU. YES THEY MAY HOLD AN OPPINION AND THAT IS WHAT IS. OBAMS HAS MADE SOME TOUGH DECISSIONS WHICH ARE NOT POPULAR BUT HE HAS A PLAN AND CRITICS ARE NOW SEING THE FRUITS. THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT EVERYTHING.
This is the most scary politician picture on the web!
He looks like he would eat anything!!
Ba Ronald naba Rupiah, don’t use the government to steal naimwebene.
There is a tabloid of hate in Zambia. This tabloid is exploiting people’s emotions to push for its evil agenda. Other private tabloids like the “Monitor and Digest” have been unable to compete because they report the truth whereas this tabloid of hate will exploit people’s emotions from the ended by elections to sway public opinion from things of national interest to it being the victim.
As can be observed on this blog, this tabloid of hate seems to be succeeding because I can see some bloggers criticizing Shikapwasha’s facial features rather than the message he is giving. This is what the tabloid of hate wants. It wants you to ignore good govt policy and just concentrate on exaggerated circumstances.
Stop bullying people drill Sergent Ronnie!
That Lenje Shikapwasha is a true dictator.
Now, what is this Media GAG??
How Ironical it is , that ZNBC workers are demanding for pay raise and you talk of slave wages MR Pilot …Ethics , Norms and Virtues are a pillar of a nation. Do not castigate the Post , It is the pride of every Zambian …
#6,the Zambian media is really difficult to follow,i will give an example of the news reported during the sitting of the Judge Chirwa tribunal.One section of the media reports that Dora ignored AJ advice another reports that Dora cleared of allegations.Media practitioners should not be mislkeading people becuse they will end bringing fighting in this country we so call a peaceful country.Report responsibly scripts.
You talk of investors , the Zambian post is an investor in media and the hallmark of independent modern journalist approach…very foreign to the old bones
Hypocrites we are when we forget where we have come from , as a kid , I recall on ZNBC there used to be the A-team , MacGaviel ,and then was a BJ McCain .. cemented by Radio 1 on Wednesday at 10hrs in the tune of going up the mountain I did not come to stay ..and in every dialect the same …. then came the media change and the post was , is and shall…That wave of change is , shall and will be …malice for none and love for all
yes Evil………Not good will for Zambia ………………………….
Stranger than Fiction, my godly and intellectual and academically think know how.I wish to left alone …..The Zambian Post Is my fan … No evil beats me…
Who is the PS at MIBS? Emmanuel Nyirenda, former Times managing editor. He is the worst censor there has ever been. He is the man promoting skewed reporting. He literary writes the stories for state media outlets. The best PS there ever was is Josephine Mapoma who was removed from MIBS because she was very liberal. She did not give a rat’s p*ss if the opposition was covered or if Chiluba was on page 3.
#$ Maestro. Yes ethics are important whether GRZ or Public. Current situation is that Times, Daily and ZNBC will not say the truth as long as that truth is against MMD. Look at Siliya’s case. Times Flag screamed DORA SILIYA CLEARED!!. when the actual fact is that she was found wanting. POST deeps deeper but sometimes they use it to attack GRZ even when GRZ are not in any wrong atall. So Shikapwasha should let the media reflect the truth as its. Telling lies is just postponing problems which will come to haunt you long after you have left gvt. I like minister Chipungu. He calls a spade a spade.
Now we hear Dora is going to the US and Chulumanda former high comissioner of Mozambique never went to school and got tax pays money,what is RB SIBANDA doing about it?
Only MMD has the right to use the media. All of you are banned as from now. First you have to join MMD and then you can say all you want to the media. Fr. Bwalya, as from today, I mean today, you have to know door to door. Even when they ask you, just refer them to George Duiker, Teta, and those Provincial MMD job hunters. THANK YOU MMD. Others will do the same to you in the near future. You Anarchists.
Believe Membe has destroyed Zambia.Zambia will never be tha same again.I personally iam not a politicain buy all newspapers even those from the western countries bt they never create hatrege of another.look the way Berlin wall potrayed by western media as nothing happened between western countries and USSR by then.The president of Russia was able to sit side by side with western countries leaders.But here Membe wants war.Look what is happening in Solwezi now Lundas and Lubales are fighting Kaondes beacuse kaondes support MMD and Lundas and Lubales support UPND.In Kasama was the samething again Mugala was from Isoka and Mwmba is a bemba from Kasama.We should love one another and the power we have is the media to potray unity while at the same time report the truth that can build Zambia