By Isaac Zulu
Green Party leader Peter Sinkamba has urged state broadcaster ZNBC to desist from biased reporting as doing so will be embarrassing President Hakainde Hichilema who was a victim of biased reporting.
And Ngande Mwanajiti urged the media to bring out and report any act that undermines the constitution, governance and the government, for civility to hold and that no media practitioner should engage in any activity that undermines the collective resolve to mount an effective fight against corruption.”
In an interview with Daily Revelation marking World Press Freedom Day, Sinkamba urged ZNBC not to embarrass President Hichilema who has said he wants their coverage to change from the biased position it has been in favour of the ruling party amen the government.
“ZNBC being a government controlled institution tends to run the narrative of government. In 2017 when President Hakainde Hichilema was arrested the narrative was different and was following the policy direction of the then ruling Patriot Front. Even this documentary of his arrest that was recently broadcast was to try and appease the government of the day, which is UPND. But you see, by running biased coverage, ZNBC is denting the message by the current President who has always been talking about freedom of the press, balanced reporting and independence of the media,” said Sinkamba. “Having been a victim of biased media when he was on the other side…in opposition, it has been his desire to see things differently now that he is in government. So by reporting in a biased manner, ZNBC might become reckless and embarrass the President. Already they are denting the image of the government of the day, which has committed to promoting media independence.”
Sinkamba said the media must be objective, saying that failure to do so the media can cause a lot of harm in society.
“At the moment now that we are not in election mode there’s some semblance of freedom and the media are not being very biased in their reporting. They are trying hard to be as independent as they can. However, this should be the general practice whether you are in an election mode or not. You know the media can cause a lot of harm in society or it can avert harm, depending on how they report,” explained Sinkamba. “In Rwanda it was the media that aggravated the situation which led to genocide in that country. And if you look at the reporting by Western media on the war in Ukraine, the Western media are promoting the narrative of NATO countries. And by so doing, people who are in Ukraine are being denied balanced news stories on the war between Russia and Ukraine. That’s why I am saying the media in our country should be strong and always strike a balance, because if they are not, they can be swayed… they can be compromised. The media in our country should be objective in their reporting because elections come and go.”
Meanwhile, Sinkamba has implored media owners in the country to pay descent salaries so as not to compromise the work and quality of content.
And Mwanajiti has expressed concern at people trying to use the media to bend the truth over the fight against corruption.
In a statement, Mwanajiti said that he is concerned about individuals that have a tendency of using the media to peddle falsehoods.
“The world turns around or people get to know what is happening because of the Fourth Estate or Media. It is an essential tool of national development. On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, the men and women who are in the front line of defending human rights through fearless reporting, I wish to singularly and severally commend you for the gallant work, even in the face of adversity. Your work speaks for itself,” stated Mwanajiti. “I call upon all citizens to stop abusing the media in any way, how so ever done. I am concerned about those who use the media to peddle falsehoods. I am concerned about those who try to use the media to bend the truth about the important fight against corruption.”
Mwanajiti challenged the media to report on acts that undermine the Republican Constitution and good governance in order for civility to hold.
“The government must create deliberate policy framework for the media to flourish. In this respect, the media should take full advantage of the Presidential commitment to deepening the rule of law. For instance, the media must bring out and report any act that undermines our Constitution, governance and the government, for civility to hold,” stated Mwanajiti. “The media is a watchdog to ensure that society is fully protected from vices, such as arbitrariness. Let no media practitioner engage in any activity that undermines our collective resolve to mount an effective fight against corruption.”
