A media expert has called on stakeholders in the media industry to relentlessly educate media practitioners for a hasty accomplishment of professionalism and ethical reportage in Zambia.
Brenda Bukowa, a University of Zambia, Department of Media and Communication Studies Lecturer observes that some media owners have the propensity of coercing their own ideologies as opposed to professional coverage enshrined in journalism ethics and standards which is gradually killing objectivity in most of media houses across the country.
“People that are running private media organizations have political ideologies that they tend to affiliate their mandate to at the expense of their editorial policies” Ms. Bukowa said.
In an interview, Ms. Bukowa who is also a PhD fellow at University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa has alleged that some media house proprietors constrain their reporters to be bias in their reportage which is not right for the journalists because they are made to report in a biased manner only to safeguard their jobs.
“Journalists don’t own these media houses so if one finds a media owner who expects him/her to write in a particular way the journalists begin to write in order to please their bosses which is killing objectivity” She said.
Ms. Bukowa has since stressed the need for stakeholders such as Media Training Schools, Government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other significant media players in Zambia to swiftly come up with deliberate policies and educate media owners the basic need for professionalism in their respective media houses.
“although time for finger pointing is long gone, right now the media is very biased, untruthful and tend to want to discredit one organization at the expense of the basics of journalism which is very embarrassing situation in Zambia ” she said.
And Brenda Bukowa who is also a media consultant said the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should consider embarking on a sensitization programme with media owners about objectivity and professionalism in the media fraternity because owners mostly have the ultimate say on any matter pertaining to a media house.
She also urged the interested stakeholders to undertake recommended sensitization programmes to first target media owners especially those who are not trained as journalists because it is obvious that they lack media knowledge and ethics and that is the biggest challenge in Zambia when it comes to media houses.
“If the CSOs are to embark on this proposed sensitization programme, they should target first those media owners who are not journalists” Ms. Bukowa said
Thats the reason Mmembe was fixed.
Good observation, this must include LAZ and NGOs.
Great observation at last a senseble woman of virtue in Zambia at an undisputable truth! Drop your number here, woman of integrity and excellence. Ireen Mambilima – like; extremely intelligent.
There’s nothing new she is saying. All media have target audiences. In the US and UK, Rupert Murdoch’s media is right-wing, from Fox News to the Telegraph. And why should Bukowa target private media for condemnation while public media are the new loudhailers for PF? And why does this biatch look like a Mumbwe Fhili mini-me?
Nothing new here. This happens everywhere not just Zambia. Next story please!
Brenda stop!
True. But ofcourse UPND can’t stabd the truth hence the insults thrown at Brenda. Fred Mmembe pretended to be a Communist yet prevented his employee from forming a trade union. Hippocratic.
True. But of-course UPND can’t stand the truth hence the insults thrown at Brenda. Fred Mmembe pretended to be a Communist yet prevented his employee from forming a trade union. Hypocrite.
There are mainstream journalism and yellow journalism. A media house can choose to position itself anywhere on the continuum. It also has a right to change position without dropping confetti.
Until the day comes when we see ZNBC, Times of Zambia or Daily mail criticize Lungu and this PF Government instead of the rubbish they now put out as “news” this culture of mediocre reporting will continue.
As PUBLIC MEDIA, owned by the People of Zambia, they should be in the forefront of objective and honest reporting, But like everything else, they have been hijacked by greedy and corrupt politicians, and no mention of the stealing and other abuses of public money is allowed.
With them setting the example, what did you expect?
Which government owned media in the world reports negatively on its government?? That is why private media has grown big because that mindset never changed even in the most democratic countries; So even if hh was president, you expected ZNBC to report against his government?? The problem Brenda Bukowa is highlighting is that private media is now being abused in Zambia like the case of the Post and Fred M’membe.
@ 3.1
It is PUBLIC MEDIA owned by the PEOPLE of ZAMBIA, not by a small clique of politicians. Government really has no business using OUR taxes just to tell us THEIR LIES!
These should all be PRIVATISED as PF PROMISED before being elected, remember?
The Government Gazette should be the only publication Government controls.
It’s wishful thinking and naivity to think some politician will come one day make public media criticize the government, even the democratic western countries are also doing it. Even if hh had became president, nothing would have changed except changing sensitive positions with his own!! That is the role of private media, they expose the happenings that are censored by public media; remember watergate scandal in USA in the 70s?? No single public media caught on to that story. The problem now is private media in Zambia has been compromised by greedy owners who have political agendas. What you are wishing for is UTOPIA. That is why I would rather pay for DSTV and WIFI than depend on newsfrom ZNBC!!!
Reporting objectively according to PF is negative reporting,what a bunch of failures.
@3.3 Zambian Citizen
What media in the developed world is “owned’ by the Government? Those that are not strictly in private ownership are organised under a CHARTER and directed by a BOARD of Trustees. They can tell a Minister of Information to get lost anytime!
Maintaining their INDEPENDENCE is SACRED to them, unlike our compromised boot licking ZNBC!
Wake up which media owner has no political agenda?
that is her point exactly. We need these media houses to change
Very well observed. Thank you.
Since LAZ is practically a Media house with huge political prejudice; can we just not replace Kasonde with this lovely Lady Ms Bukowa? She would run LAZ objectively even though not a Lawyer! Outsiders can lead blind insiders.
Please start with reforming ZNBC journalists, they scandalous to say the least
THis lady is too beautiful to BE TONGA, Please drop your number i change your surname to Bwalya atleast you can disguise in the most intelligent tribes name in Zambia least people will be associating you with UPND (UNIPINDA NDALAMA?)
BBC can not criticises the government,Have a look at the FBI boss who has been fired in usa,The US president is trying to cover himself because of on going investigations in the run up of the election,Of which there think USSR had a hand in it.
This is very object thinking. I wish all graduates from all tertiary institutions could think in these lines. We can not copy and paste a wrong that is done in a so called first world country and deem it fit for us. we have to be different and its this flavor of difference from the rest that even the so called “best countries” will adore us for. People go to school to study journalism for years, just like any other professionals like lawyers, engineers, accountants, etc. and i feel i cannot try to help a journalist, or indeed any other profession, to understand what they are supposed to do. They are all well conversed with their ethical and moral obligations and from our backyard windows as ordinary citizens, we have to feel beyond reasonable doubt that they retain their aim is solely…