THE United Party for National Development(UPND) says free and healthy press is needed to counter the dynamic and ensure that the journalistic bar is set high.
UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said in a press release yesterday that it was the journalists struggle to break through into international media because the quality of work is limited by the constraints placed on them by the Government and their superiors.
Mr Hichilema says the routine use of media for self-serving and personal battles presents a challenge that must be overcome.
He has stated that the first step must be a clear commitment from Government, opposition, civil society and business to non-interference and support for the professionalism and independence of journalists and editors.
The UPND leader said supporting and enabling Zambian journalists to engage in good quality and independent journalism has never been an important issue.
He said in recent years the incidence of journalists being intimidated by those that are supposed to protect them has become all too common, while editors that value and protect the independence and journalistic integrity of their staff struggle to maintain their positions in the face of external pressure.
Mr Hichilema has reminded the Patriotic Front (PF) Government that the press does not exist to only serve their interests.
He said the growth of blogs and social media platforms was rapidly changing the media landscape and while bringing with it many positive results UPND was concerned with the rise in the level of hate speech on such forums.
All we hear from radio and TV news are hate speeches . All mother Zambia where do we go? God help this country.
Especially from hh. Speeches and speeches all the time. Abwankula fye ifyakubwankula. Nici frog pa mating time. All the time ni hh alelanda landa fye. Ka under five kalesambilila ukulanda.
Just look at him. When you see him folding his arms like that , and twisting his face in that fashion, ninshi na bwankula ati bwanku..bwanku…bwanku.
This baby president of ours is matata indeed. Just talking no fruits whatsoever.
Ati opposition leader..upnd yalionauka yaya ku mbwa ….eish.
@The black woman not pink, you people supporting Edgar Lungu, what vision are seeing from him? or you just support him because of tribe and party. Please wake up, see and think.
HH can make a better president than the Kachasu Man.
HH we love you. Edgar Lungu we hate you because you are an impontent and visionless president.
Dear Zambians, let us show Edgar Lungu that laziness and global trotting is irretrogressive.
2016, VOTE HH AND THE UPND.
GOD BE WITH YOU.
This man can indeed make a great president of our beloved mother Zambia. Only time will tell, thumbs up HH!
@?The black woman not pink. You seem to agree with what HH has said about the media because you have not said HH’s statement is not correct or showed where the statement is wrong. It is the same hate speech like yours which HH is condemning.
Be objective, good you have told this useless pink fool
ZNBC has become a very pathetic outlet for propaganda by govt. The PF have the little Professionallism that was left at ZNBC.
Ba LT i think you meant HH calls for “freedom” of media and not “free” of media please edit. Kwati ni Djimon Hounsou in Amistad: “‘Give us us free”
Thumbs up my president
But HH is the one in the forefront promoting hate comments and speeches through his sponsored media zwd. I can only take the rubbish he has talked about if he castigated the zwd.