Stop threathening private media govt told

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:03:16 +0000

The Patriotic Front should stop threatening the private media because they are ascendance to power can be directly traced to the publicity provided by private newspapers and radio stations.

According to a media consultant Samuel Ngwira, “people should not forget where they came from by destroying institutions that brought them to power.”

Mr Ngwira said “the PF were the first people to criticize the manner in which the media was operating under the previous regime and wondered why the party was changing stance and at now worsened the situation by threatening the media.

It was disappointing, he said, that government had changed its stance on freedom of the press which they advocated for, “If we had a good leadership, I see no reason why the media should be threatened, as it was playing the important role of disseminating information to the public.”

He stated that the PF government was becoming hard on individuals with divergent views that were opposing theirs, a situation he said should not be accepted inZambia.

Mr Ngwira accused the PF government of trying to form a one party State, “that no one should oppose their views whether they are good or not.

His comments followed Ministry of information and Broadcasting services PS Amos Malupenga’s threat to close UNZA radio.

Just some few days ago, government threatened UNZA Radio management that it risks losing its broadcast license if it continued violating the provisions for which the license was obtained.

And government has also cautioned other private and community radio stations in the country against overstepping their mandates in informing, educating and entertaining the public.
It was reported that Mr Malupenga warned UNZA Radio management that the ministry would withdraw its broadcast license.

Mr Malupenga sounded the warning when he summoned UNZA Radio management to his office in Lusaka.

This follows concerns by the Ministry over the radio station’s non-compliance to the provisions of the broadcast license in its programming.

“The Ministry is concerned that the radio station has departed from its original mandate of being a teaching facility to a platform for advancing partisan interest. The Ministry will not sit by and watch UNZA Radio depart from the reason for which the license was issued which is to serve as a teaching aid for media students, “he said.

Mr Malupenga, he said, “What is going on at UNZA Radio is against ethical requirements of good journalism.

He further said while the government supported freedom of the press, it would not allow illegality to thrive in the media industry under the guise of freedom of information.

And the media consultant further said government’ s threat to the media should not be a thing to be taken lightly by any individual whop meant well for the development of the country.