Maravi

MMD complains to MECOZ over Post editorials

MMD complains to MECOZ over Post editorials
By Noel Sichalwe
Saturday September 27, 2008 [04:00]

MEDIA Council of Zambia (MECOZ) chairperson Sister Rose Nyondo yesterday confirmed receiving a complaint from MMD against The Post for its editorials published since August 20, 2008. But Press Freedom Committee of The Post secretary general Sheikh Chifuwe said the complaint to MECOZ by the MMD is misplaced.

Sr Nyondo said the MMD campaign committee lodged the complaint on September 22, accusing The Post of publishing more than 20 editorial comments full of hate speech against their party presidential candidate Rupiah Banda.

She said the MMD alleged that The Post had scandalised the personality and character of Vice-President Banda who was also Acting President without any good cause.

"MECOZ would like to appeal to the media to exercise fairness and impartiality in the coverage of all four presidential candidates who apart from Honourable Banda include Mr Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front (PF), Brigadier General Godffrey Miyanda of the Heritage Party and Mr Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who are taking part in the 30th October 2008 presidential elections. Particularly, the media also needs to at all costs desist from insults, inflammatory and derogatory language because such will not help the public in anything related to elections," she said.

Sr Nyondo said insults and the use of any unpalatable language by the media was unacceptable in the journalism profession.

"As MECOZ, we would like to remain on record again that insults by any media are unethical," she said.

Sr Nyondo said there had been several public concerns expressing disappointment at the conduct of the media in their coverage of the electoral process by focusing on personal attacks.

"Our advice to the media is that, they should reflect on their conduct and ask themselves whether what they were doing was building the nation or not," said Sr Nyondo.

But Chifuwe said The Post's editorial comments have been based on facts and that the newspaper was entiltled to express its opinion on anyone aspiring for public office.

Chifuwe said it was mischievious for Sr Nyondo to make general comments on a complaint received about a newspaper, which is not a member of MECOZ and on issues she did not understand.
"First, The Post is not a member of MECOZ. Both the MMD and MECOZ should know that membership to MECOZ is voluntary. It is not mandatory to belong to MECOZ.

Second, the complaint itself is without merit. At no time did The Post publish any libelous or defamatory stories or comments about Vice-President Rupiah Banda and the MMD," Chifuwe said. "If any such material has been published, let Vice-President Rupiah Banda and the MMD go to court.

One can only meaningfully pass judgment in a matter where both parties are heard. At no time did Sr Nyondo ever attempt to get in touch with us to find out our position on the matter. Being a woman of God, Sr Nyondo should know that God is a God of justice. She is calling for fairness when she is not being fair herself, she is passing judgment based on one side."

Chifuwe said all the editorial comments of The Post could be proved and justified and that everything published about Vice-President Banda was true.

"If there is a lie, let them take us to court rather than try to use an organisation that has no credibility. The behaviour of MECOZ shows why The Post cannot be a member of MECOZ - elements who can convict other people without giving them an opportunity to be heard.

This is why we have made it clear that we are not, and we will not, be members of MECOZ," said Chifuwe. "We have no problem with how many editorial comments we write on wrongdoings. This is not first time we are doing so.

If Sr Nyondo and MECOZ and their MMD friends have got any memory in them, they will recall that we ran daily editorial comments for five weeks on late president Levy Mwanawasa and his attempt to grant his friend Kashiwa Bulaya a nolle prosequi. We did this until Levy yielded and Kashiwa Bulaya was eventually convicted."

Labels: MECOZ, MMD, THE POST

posted by MrK @ 3:44 AM