Media told to report more on development

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 11:29:22 +0000

By KELVIN SIABANA

A  NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation (NGO), ALMS-OVC, has implored the media to report on development projects in Zambia rather than concentrating on politics.

ALMS-OVC executive director John Daka said the media has sadly shifted its focus of informing the masses on development programmes to politics.

Mr Daka said politics had taken a centre stage in the media circles because some personnel from different media houses had become the mouth pieces of certain politicians.

Mr Daka told the Daily Nation in an interview  that  the media should denounce some political parties or leaders fond of using the media as tools of angrandisement which hinders progressive development.

He said almost on a daily basis most of the media outlets – both private and public – carried political stories as their main issues.

Mr Daka said the media played a pivotal role in the development of the country hence it was the responsibility of the media to report on development issues.

He said the media should not be used by politicians to drive their selfish agenda and in the process deny people the development they needed.

He said the media should be highlighting development programmes embarked on by the Government and other stakeholders.

He said the media should stick to its ethics when reporting news rather than siding with certain political leaders or political parties for them to gain favour of monetary or material form.

Mr Daka said there were a lot of development projects being undertaken in different parts of the country, especially in rural areas, which went unreported.

He said people will not eat politics because all they wanted was development to directly benefit them.