IBA challenged to summon ZNBC over election coverage

By BARNABAS ZULU TONSE Alliance member Muhabi Lungu has challenged the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to disclose the names of media houses it has summoned over their coverage of the just-ended general elections and whether the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) was among them. The IBA has disclosed that it has summoned five media houses to appear before it over allegations arising from their election coverage. But Mr Lungu says the authority should make the list public to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability. “Let the public know which stations have been summoned and why they have been summoned. We need fairness, transparency and accountability in the way the IBA handles these matters. Has the authority summoned ZNBC on how it covered the August general election, especially on whether it provided equal coverage to all political players?” Mr Lungu said. He said the public had a right to know the allegations against the media houses that had been summoned. Mr Lungu challenged the IBA to summon ZNBC over concerns raised by the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission regarding the public broadcaster’s election coverage. “The EU observer mission observed that ZNBC was biased and only covered the opposition once. If that is what the observers found, then ZNBC must also be summoned to explain itself,” he said. Mr Lungu said the IBA should apply the same standards to all broadcasters regardless of their political affiliations or positions. “There should be no bias. If the IBA is summoning media houses for alleged misconduct during the elections, then it must also look at ZNBC and ask them to explain their conduct,” he said. He said equal treatment of broadcasters was important in maintaining public confidence in the regulator and ensuring that the media operated fairly during elections.

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