Malupenga distances The Post from circulation of ‘labour’ pictures

Malupenga distances The Post from circulation of ‘labour’ pictures
Written by Ernest Chanda
Sunday, June 28, 2009 4:47:19 PM

POST managing editor Amos Malupenga has dismissed reports that the newspaper has been circulating pictures of a woman in labour on the Internet.

Featuring on Friday’s MUVI TV news segment in Lusaka, Malupenga said the falsehoods were being circulated by people and organisations with a malicious agenda against the newspaper.

"It is not true that The Post took that picture and circulated it. I think the facts speak for themselves in our letter to the Vice-President [George Kunda]. We did not go out taking pictures of any woman giving birth, the position is as it stands, just as explained in our editorial comment yesterday [Thursday]," Malupenga explained.

"Those pictures were brought to us by one of the relatives to that lady in the picture, with instructions that we publish so that we bring to the attention of the government and the public, the effects of the strikes. When we looked at those pictures we thought that they were gruesome, they were in bad taste we couldn't publish them."

Malupenga said management then had to make a decision by looking at the problem behind the picture.

"...And that's how the decision was reached for us to communicate with the government and other stakeholders whom we thought could help push for a solution to the strikes," he said.

"I want to emphasise the point that we wrote to the Vice-President, explaining that we are in possession of these pictures which we are unable to publish. But we are bringing them to your attention so that they can move you to find a quick solution to this problem. And we copied this letter to four other institutions: NGOCC [Non Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council], Women for Change, the minister of health and the Archbishop of Lusaka."

He explained that the two women organisations were specifically targeted because they were known for lobbying for women's welfare.

"But unfortunately we got feedback from NGOCC, they said that they were disgusted with the pictures and they thought that we should not have done that. The Editor-in-chief, Mr [Fred] M'membe had a lengthy discussion with Mrs [Marian] Munyinda from the NGOCC. He explained exactly the rationale behind that. And he said 'if you are offended we are going to apologise because it was not our intention to offend you. Our intention was to let you be moved by those pictures so that you can do something, if you can push [government] to ensure that a solution is found. And that's the spirit in which we circulated'," Malupenga explained.

"It is not correct as the picture is being painted that The Post is circulating the pictures on the Internet. The Post only sent hard copies to the Vice-President, the minister of health and the two NGOs we spoke about and the Archbishop, that's all we did. And if people are circulating those pictures on the Internet, that has got nothing to do with The Post."

Asked if the newspaper had followed ethics by circulating pictures that were not taken by its photographer, Malupenga said the action taken by management was as a result of adherence to journalism ethics.

"You have to realise that the person who took that picture is not a journalist. And this is what we need to know before we even talk about ethics. It is not a professional photographer from The Post, as far as I'm concerned who took that picture. So when we talk about ethics, let's start from there. That picture did not originate with The Post, it was brought to our doorsteps with instructions that we publish," he said.

"Well, if we are talking about ethics, it was our ethical consideration that we could not publish that picture. Even as the President insinuated during that press conference that we are circulating those pictures on the Internet, it's surprising because I've got a copy of the letter we wrote to the Vice-President. It is very clear we are stating to the Vice-President that we are in possession of these pictures, which we find difficult to publish. But we are forwarding them to you in the hope that they'll move you to act and find a solution to this striking problem, which has given rise to things like this. So, people are being unfair by condemning us for things we didn't do."