Media Liaison Committee chairperson Enock Ngoma says lawyers engaged to seek legal redress against the biased media coverage by state run ZNBC, Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily Mail will on Wednesday submit the petition to the high court.
The committee is seeking the courts intervention and is hopeful that the national broadcaster and the sister companies will stop the biased coverage of political parties and other stakeholders.
Mr Ngoma said the committee is hopeful that the courts will compel the 3 public institutions to start giving equal coverage to all political players as the institutions are not private but public hence should give coverage to all Zambians.
He said the committee has engaged lawyers who are pursuing the issue and are expected to submit documents in the High court on Wednesday.
He said the committee was forced to take court action against the three public media institutions because of the continued biased coverage of political parties with only the ruling party enjoying the coverage.
He said the action by the committee is based on a precedent which was set by the court in 1991 when the directors of the 3 institutions were put on suspension for failing to give equal coverage to all political parties in the run up to the general elections.
The court action comes after numerous calls by stakeholders for the public media to give equal coverage to all political parties and other stakeholders.
Stakeholders have argued that the 3 public media institutions are run using tax payers money hence should be accessible by all Zambians regardless of their political affiliation.
About freakng time. Why are such actions delayed being taken by concerned parties? Fear should not stir the nation, never. Governments should be scared of the people & not people scared of their own governments.
Government has no business owning media houses!
Is it possible for them to give unbiased coverage when their jobs are on the line to politicians?
Did PFs manifesto not specify and promise that they would PRIVATISE the public media??
In any case, this Government has demonstrated that it cannot even run them properly. Unpaid salaries, unpaid taxes……
They should just be sold immediately. Enough of this nonsense. Government owned media are just dictators best tools left over from UNIP days.
Exactly. Government has the government gazette. What more does it need?
Some media will be pro government and some anti government, but that is a sign of a healthy democracy.
This business of using publicly funded media for partisan politics is an anachronism we need to get rid of.
People ought to learn to fight oppressors in this case the PF lead govt blocking others from benefiting from public media. Opposition must put up a formidable fight for their place.
Do those political parties have news apart from hate speeches. The national media is about building unity.
Peters,
Do really mean what u r saying or u r just a blind PF Cadre.
The most hate speeches have been from the ruling PF. Kambwili, Mumbi, Chama etc. Please read the the papers & do not just yap yap.
Great move.Its too much mwe
We don’t want to hear insults from the opposition on znbc…! The opposition in Zambia is full of nothing but hatred towards Lungu…!
@Munene: The reporters are professional enough to decide and gauge what to report if they are given freedom to do so by their superiors.
People hate, loathe the repugnant PF. Lungu just happens to be the head and representative of this disgusting evil organisation PF and therefore bears the brunt. It’s not personal. We are dealing with an undemocratic thuggish party now in charge of the affairs of the nation. Every party must have equal access to public media. Public media doesn’t belong to PF alone. Is this advanced math to comprehend?
It’s our money being used. Pump in only PF money and you can do whatever you want munene.
REAL CHANGE IS SWEEPING ALL ACROSS ZAMBIA. ZAMBIANS ARE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN DEFINING WHO THEY REAL ARE AND HOW THEY WANT ZAMBIA TO BE, AS A REAL DEMOCRACY. GOOD MOVE MLC! TEACH THESE PUBLIC MEDIA HOUSES A BIG LESSON. THEY ARE NOT SERIOUS IN THEIR DISCHARGE OF DUTY. THEY ARE MALFUNCTIONING. THEY NEED TO BE SUSPENDED IF THEY DON’T REFORM. VIVA CHANGE VIVA! VIVA ZAMBIA VIVA! IT IS ZAMBIA FORWARD.
@TRUTH, I want to be your friend, can I be your friend? Lol
@Spark Jarrow are you gay? Why do you want an online “friend” you must be a weirdo!
@MB your mind is as empty as that of your ancestors. All friends you have now were once strangers. By the way, I was jokingly asking @TRUTH to be my friend because he’s one of the least brilliant bloggers on this platform. I’m sure you haven’t heard about the proverb that talks about like minds.
I applaud MLC’s stance but surely I tell you this its easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than it is for thickneck Chimbwili’s “public media” to change under its current form.
Go round Zambia before talking about real change. Believe me HH knows that he is not going to state house in August. Zambians have come to know that most of the problems we are going through are not lungu made. Lungu is winning by not less than 60%. Think of how you would be after elections and be wise becouse kadanza will be in state house till 2021
Why is he begging for help from MMD if he can win with 60 percent. Please listen to what your leaders say. The leader is not confident but the follower is super confident. Really strange!!!
If the problems are not “Lungu made” Who made them then?
I thought he was supposed to be President?
What are you saying? He has not reported for work since he was elected?
You might be right!