Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said in an interview
in Lusaka yesterday that the failure by the media to regulate
themselves was blatantly exhibited in the period running to the October
30 presidential election.
He challenged the Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ), Press Association of
Zambia (PAZA), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the Zambia
Union of Journalists (ZUJ), among others, to prove that the media could
regulate themselves.
Recently, members of Parliament (MPs) and the Government called for
statutory regulation of the media following what they termed as
unprofessional reporting in the period of campaigning for the October
30 polls.
During the campaign period, Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said some
sections of the media openly insulted some presidential candidates
under the pretext of freedom of the Press.
Gen Shikapwasha, who is Information and Broadcasting Services minister,
said even some MPs who were in support of self-regulation of the media
had now changed their mind after noticing the unprofessional reporting
by some media houses.
Even some people that supported self-regulation of the media can no
longer do that because in the last few months, some media organisations
have shown that they cannot regulate themselves. When you go to such
extents, it clearly shows that there is need for regulation, Gen
Shikapwasha said.
As a result of the failure by the media to prove that they could
regulate themselves, he said, the Government was left with no option
but to seek statutory regulation.
On Monday, media bodies rejected calls by the Government for statutory
regulation, saying the decision was misplaced and made out of emotions.
By Times Reporter