THE independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) has called on television and radio media houses to offer fair coverage of political parties during the 2016 tripartite elections.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, IBA board member Hilda Akakelwa urged media houses to cover political parties fairly without bias.
“I am aware that some political parties are struggling and cannot afford to pay for airtime my appeal is to media houses to offer every party a platform to showcase themselves,” she said.
Ms Akekelwa aid that it was important for radio stations to ensure that complaints by listeners were resolved in the shortest possible time.
IBA also advised all radio listeners to raise complaints where necessary so that the standard of professionalism was raised at all stations.
Another IBA board member Overton Banda said that some radio listeners did not know their rights and don’t raise complaints over the standards of information given to them by media stations.
“Some radio listeners don’t know their rights and they don’t know where to take their complaints, this is the reason we are concerned with familiarising ourselves on the operations of stations,’’ he said.
He said it was their right to take actions if the station was not able to respond and deal with the raised complaints by listeners and viewers.
“Am appealing to the radio station owners to be responsible for whatever complaints are raised by the listeners or viewers and it is their obligation to sort out effectively their failure lest we take this into action as IBA,’’he said.
The two IBA board members on Monday visited three radio stations in Livingstone Livingstone namely Falls FM, Zambezi and Musitunya.
Fair coverage will only come when politicians lose the power to appoint/control the people in charge of these broadcasting institutions,how do you expect my appointee to cover my opponent more than me? And the private media has taken advantage of this and turned into corrupt houses,where the more you pay,or the more promises they get,the better and the more coverage.
With all due respect, I think Ms Josephine Mapoma should resign from IBA. She has miserably failed in her capacity as Director. In the same aim the ZNBC director and Chairperson of the Board should also resign. ZNBC would be a profit making entity if it were not for professional succumbing to politicians like Chishimba Kambwili
Don’t just call you twits enforce!
*What do u mean fair coverage is to be free of charge or what?
*What do guidelines say on covering polical parties if says they shud pay then let all parties pay.
*why form a political party if u can fell to pay.
*Others form parties for berging just join others if u cant afford
IBA is the most toothless institution I’ve ever come across. Can you challenge the minister of information to be fair in his approach to public institutions where tax payers money is used to only position the ruling party