Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Director General, Webster Malido, has challenged the media to avoid divisive media content that can bring disunity in the country.
ZANIS reports that speaking in Chingola over the weekend when he paid a courtesy call on Acting Chingola District Commissioner, Stephen Moonze, Mr Malido also stressed the need for the media to report verified, accurate, objective and balanced information.
He noted that misleading and inaccurate information can lead to election of wrong leaders especially during an election period such as the one that Zambia will soon enter in.
“Inaccurate and misleading information is dangerous as it would disrupt national unity and even lead to election of wrong people in offices especially during campaigns and elections period as people would make voting decisions based on misleading media information.
“As such, l would like to urge broadcasters in the country to be responsible in their operations and stick to responsible reporting that is accurate, objective, truthful and balanced for the country to remain peaceful and united before and after general elections next year,” he said.
Mr Malido further stated that government’s wish is that people have access to information from the local media but warned that broadcasters should control what participants say on their platforms so that other people are not injured.
Chingola District Commissioner, Stephen Moonze, urged the IBA management to be more proactive in order to curb the spread of misinformation and abuse of freedom of expression by some members of the public through broadcasting institutions.
Mr Moonze urged IBA to ensure that broadcasters work within the law to preserve national unity and peace even as the country heads to the 2026 general election in a few months’ time.
“IBA is an important institution as far as freedom of expression is concerned, we have seen when people want to become careless with their utterances, as such IBA should actively come in and control so that broadcasters work within the confines of the law to prevent people from injuring others,” he said.
Later, during a tour of Iwave Radio Station, IBA Board Member, Professor Jimmy Mbale, urged the station management to stick to their registered content category in their programming.
Prof Mbale also encouraged the institution to be ethical and professional in their operations.
Meanwhile, Iwave Radio Station Manager, Lucy Kaonga, and her Promise Television counterpart, Felix Mulenga, complained of load shedding challenges, stating that it is preventing them from conducting smooth broadcasting as they are forced to go off air when there is no power supply.
The two, however, assured IBA management of full compliance with the regulatory authority’s rules in their operations.
