Maravi

Media bodies optimistic about FOI Bill

Media bodies optimistic about FOI Bill
By Ernest Chanda
Mon 08 Mar. 2010, 09:30 CAT

Sheikh Chifuwe with PFC coordinator Leah Kabamba at The Post Newspaper offices
MEDIA bodies in the country have expressed hope that government will implement the Freedom of Information Bill and other Acts as this year’s gift to the industry.

Briefing the media on activities lined up for the World Press Freedom Day which falls on May 3 every year, 2010 World Press Freedom Day organising committee chairperson Sheikh Chifuwe said if media freedom was guaranteed through various pieces of legislation, it would be a great gift to the media fraternity.

Chifuwe said media freedom had been a constant topic in the country because the media industry was under constant threat from various spheres.

“It is our sincere belief that the media freedom has been a constant topic for discussion in this country because its existence is being threatened either by statutory impositions, physical violations, social, political and economic challenges,” Chifuwe said. “It still remains our conviction that the government shall meet the expectations of the people by implementing the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Amendment Act, Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act and Freedom of Information Bill. Our prayer is that these pieces of legislation shall be given to the people as a May 3 gift.”

And Chifuwe disclosed that the committee would introduce a Media Freedom Prize to honour outstanding and courageous institutions and persons in the industry.

“The organising committee is pleased to announce that it will this year introduce a national Media Freedom Prize which honours a person, organisation or institution that has made an outstanding and courageous contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom in Zambia.

We hope this will motivate local media personnel to perform to the public’s expectation in the media reforms,” he said. “We call upon all our people to turn a new page and start demanding for a free press and free speech, without which there can never be justice in any society. The challenge perhaps to those of us in the media industry is to ensure that our people understand this.”


And Media Institute of Southern Africa Zambia Chapter chairperson Henry Kabwe challenged journalists to highlight various issues affecting them.

Kabwe said journalists had suffered a lot of physical and verbal harassment that could not be ignored.

“The greatest challenge we face each year is the harassment of journalists. In the past, politicians have complained that they resort to harassment because we’ve not had a regulatory body where they could complain. But now that we shall soon have the Zambia Media Council, we hope that the same politicians will complain to this council,” Kabwe said.

“I challenge my fellow journalists to publicise activities pertaining to the media. We have written so much about others. We’ve seen journalists covering workers who have gone for four months without pay, but we’ve not seen journalists covering other journalists who have gone without pay for eight months. So, let’s take interest in issues affecting us because no one will write about us.”

The organising committee comprises the Catholic Media Services, Zambia Media Women Association, Media Institute of Southern Africa, and the Zambia Union of Journalists.

Others are the Press Association of Zambia, Zambia Union of Broadcasters and other Information Disseminators, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, Press Freedom Committee of The Post, United Nations Information Centre, Panos Southern Africa, Human Rights Commission and the Zambia Commission of UNESCO.

Labels: FOI, LEAH KABAMBA, PRESS FREEDOM, SHEIKH CHIFUWE

posted by MrK @ 10:36 AM