Friday, March 29, 2024

Independent Media Continue to Face Friction in Zambia

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Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Stephen Kampyongo has said Africa has an opportunity to resolve the crisis of children born without being recorded or accounted for through crafting mechanisms that will provide birth records
Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Stephen Kampyongo has said Africa has an opportunity to resolve the crisis of children born without being recorded or accounted for through crafting mechanisms that will provide birth records

Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo advise to Zambians in the diaspora to rely on government owned mesia for facts is a continuation of PF government assault on independent media. For Hon Kampyongo to cite Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), which are government departments, and electronic versions of the local newspaper organization Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily mail, which are also under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, without mentioning at least one independent media is an implication that independent media is a source of fake news.

Abash spirit of favoritism. Fake new is real out there, and collectively we must fight it. The fight starts by viewing all media equal. No media is above the other in Zambia as portrayed by Hon Kampyongo.

Don’t get me wrong, the minister makes a very important point. Zambians living abroad need to make an effort to verify news they read on social media as social media platforms have now become a source of fake and unverified news. The problem is that Kampyongo avoid to give example of unreliable source of news. Instead, he goes on to mention ZANIS, ZNBC and electronic versions of the local newspaper organizations Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily mail as reliable sources of news. All of them government departments. What is going on in his mind?

I want the people of Zambia to look at this kind of language from another angle. Independent media is not fully welcome in Zambia. I hope one can see that through Hon Kampyongo’s language. It is full of bias and I wouldn’t be surprised if others see hate too. The language has potential to evoke hate and violence against private journalists as people don’t want to be associated with liars. In case one misses it, Kampyongo is simply saying independent rather privave reporters are liars.

Hon Kambyongo may not be aware, Zambians in the diaspora want to hear how far Chalala 48 houses investigation has gone. They want to hear explanation why the country is experiencing restriction in freedom of assembly, movement, and expression under his leadership.

By Venus N Msyani

11 COMMENTS

  1. It is independent media that tells the truth (most of the time).

    It is state sponsored media that tells us lies (all the time).

    If these ministers did their jobs properly, they would no have to worry about who reports what because people will see, and appreciate their efforts to develop Zambia.

    I mean there is no reason why Zambia should not have developed like Rwanda has.

    • A nationwide general strike has been called across Lebanon for Monday as protests, demanding an end to economic woes and perceived government corruption, are set to continue for a fifth day. The raft of reforms announced by Prime Minister Hariri did not go far enough for some protesters on Monday.
      They also call for:
      The resignation of the government, who they accuse of widespread corruption.
      Handing over power to a council of non-political judges until elections can be held.
      Cabinet approves reforms following five days of protests
      Lebanon approved reforms and the 2020 budget following five days of protests, Prime Minister Hariri announced on Monday.
      The reforms and budget include:
      Cutting the salaries of some current and former politicians in half.
      Abolishing several state…

    • Continued
      Abolishing several state institutions, including the Ministry of Information.
      Slashing the budget of the agency in charge of development and construction by 70 percent, along with cutting the budget of other state agencies.
      Establishing an anti-corruption committee by the end of the year.
      Moving to privatise telecommunications.
      Reforming the state-run power sector, including speeding up licensing for power plants.
      No new taxes.
      Giving millions of dollars to families living in poverty as well as $160mn as housing loans.
      Increasing tax on bank profits, part of a plan of having banks aid in a deficit reduction of about $3.4bn.
      The government had convened on Monday for about five hours to approve the reform package.
      Most of the reforms had been agreed to early in the…

  2. Yes we also want an update on the 2nd hand fire trucks Mrs lungu went to view with a 25 man delegation , at the cost of almost $1 million

  3. There’s no true media in Zambia, what we have are two extremes. The public media only produces what Edgar and Kampyongo want to hear. The private media are divided, The Daily Nation is with PF, News Diggers sides with UPND, The Mast supports Fred Mmembe. The rest just manufacture news. This scenario has caused fake news and propaganda by Party media teams to thrive

  4. Spot on Ayattolah. You really don’t know who to believe. Even if you are the one who supplied the news(source), you would wonder at how the two sides would report your own news. Journalism is almost dead now in Zambia. The choice of disrespectful and insulting words is appalling. You wonder weather there is a new breed of editors, if at all they exist.
    Rational and professional reporting ain’t there anymore. Its now ‘Cry the beloved Country’. God help Mother Zambia.

    • It’ll be better for them to separate news and propaganda. News must be reported exactly the way it happened not according to the thinking of the editor, that can be done in their editorials. Most of what we read are opinions of the writers. Even cameras are edited not to show the exact picture. Did you see the empty terraces at show grounds on 18 October?

  5. Katondo Street illegal Forex dealer is assuming we are all as dull as he is, & gullible like all those illiterate P.F Cadres.
    Take message to your fellow Brain Dead cadres, who you easily dube, as they lack analytical thinking.

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