Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chairperson, Henry Kabwe, has urged journalists from both public and private media to work professionally ahead of the August 11, 2016 general elections.
Mr Kabwe said journalists should not take sides in their reporting especially this time when campaigns have heated up by political parties that will be participating in elections this year.
The MISA-Zambia Chairperson was speaking to ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka.
He added that it is unprofessional for both public and private media personnel to support preferred political parties.
Mr Kabwe said journalists should always remember to get facts correctly as opposed to twisting stories to favour their favourite political parties.
He said reporters should be careful not to promote unnecessary acrimony between politicians because their noble role is to inform the public the truth.
He added that MISA-Zambia does not want to see a situation where journalists are dismissed from their employment when the party which they reported against comes into power.
Mr Kabwe said doing the right thing on the part of journalists is cardinal and ethical as called for by the journalist profession.
He said this following the call by the Information Minister, Chishimba Kambwli over the weekend, that government will ensure that both private and public media personnel are protected during the run-up to the August 11, 2016, general elections.
Ba Lusaka times when was this story written because Henry Kabwe is the current Chairperson of MISA Zambia but Helen Mwale.