According to the SSZJ Chairperson Ridgeway Liwena, the meeting was attended by SSZJ Chairperson, his Deputy Augustine Seyuba, Secretary Simone Mwale, Vice Treasurer Cosmo Mulongoti and Vice Secretary Gillian Mukula-Mwaba.
According to the Times of Zambia dated 14 August 2010, Liwena said in a statement that the society arrived at the decision to consult the media and the government during a meeting held by the society in order to address the apparent impasse over the media self-regulatory mechanism.
Liwena stated that his organization intends to bring the media fraternity through the Media Liaison Committee (MLC), and the government through the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services to a round table discussion in an effort to find common ground.
He also said that the current stalemate arising from the differences over the manner in which self-regulation should be handled was impacting negatively on the development of the media in Zambia and generally on the free flow of information.
BACKGROUND
Media Liaison Committee (MLC) spokesperson Amos Chanda, on 11 August 2010, announced that the launch of Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) will take place on 26 August 2010.
Government however, reiterated on 11 August 2010, through Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha, that ZAMEC in its current form, was a rebirth of the failed Media Ethics Council of Zambia (MECOZ) and that in an event that MLC decided to go ahead and launch ZAMEC, all government media organizations would have nothing to do with it.
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