Maravi

Chanda threatens to eject Chiluba’s aide from media conference

Chanda threatens to eject Chiluba’s aide from media conference
By Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 14 Apr. 2010, 04:50 CAT

FLASH BACK: Tamara Kambikambi speaking while Information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha (l) and Amos Chanda listens during the PRM media breakfast eting at Lusaka's Hotel Intercontinental on April 30-04-2009me

MEDIA Liaison Committee (MLC) spokesperson Amos Chanda yesterday threatened to chase former president Frederick Chiluba's press aide Emmanuel Mwamba for being argumentative and interrupting the discussions at the national stakeholders' conference on media self-regulation.

During deliberations on the draft constitution of the soon-to-be launched Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) at Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, Mwamba, who regularly stood up to debate and sometimes interrupted other delegates that were debating, accused Chanda, who was chairing the session, of taking sides on certain aspects of the constitution.

When he stood up, Mwamba said: “It's just a word of caution to the chair not to take sides.” But Chanda responded: “Mr Mwamba, you can't caution the chair.”

Mwamba, who is a journalist, said Chanda had been taking sides, debating and ruling other debaters out of order.
But Chanda said: “Again, what is the function of the chair? It's to overrule somebody who is out of order like you were.”

Mwamba demanded to continue speaking and argued that Chanda was refusing to take his point of view.

Chanda warned: “No! Mr Mwamba you will be forced to be sent away from here. Emmanuel, you can't just stand up and interrupt others just because you want to speak all the time.”

Earlier, Mwamba demanded that membership to ZAMEC be compulsory.
He said Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ) failed because membership was voluntary.

Mwamba added that MECOZ failed because The Post, which he said was a “key offender”, was not a member of the institution.

“We must discuss the reasons why MECOZ failed; it was because of voluntary membership. MECOZ was just toothless because it couldn't exercise authority,” said Mwamba.

But Post assistant news editor George Chellah dismissed Mwamba's assertions that MECOZ failed because The Post was not a member.

“Why should someone have a problem with the issue of voluntary membership unless they have ulterior motives?” said Chellah.

Post managing editor Amos Malupenga argued that MECOZ failed because there was no conscience.
He said the reasons that Mwamba advanced on the failure by MECOZ were untrue.

Malupenga explained that there were even members of MECOZ that did not comply with the organisation's decisions.

MISA-Zambia representative Jane Chirwa said membership to ZAMEC should be voluntary like it were in Australia, South Africa and other countries that had media self-regulation mechanisms.

Nalumino Nalumino proposed that although membership to the council should be voluntary, there should be a clause in the constitution that would forbid members from withdrawing from ZAMEC when they are facing cases.

MISA Zambia former director Fanwell Chembo said membership to ZAMEC should be voluntary and there would be need to make it attractive and successful so that people could gain confidence, join and support it.

Chembo said people go to churches voluntarily because they were attractive and they succeeded.

Majority members agreed that membership to ZAMEC should be voluntary but no member should withdraw at the critical time when they were facing a case before the council.

And South African Press Council (SAPC) press ombudsman Joe Thloloe, in a presentation read for him by Zambia Union for Broadcasting and other Information Disseminators (ZUBID) general secretary Masuzyo Ndhlovu, said journalists and media owners in his country that take the responsibility that society had placed on them seriously had decided that they would unravel the irony in which society finds itself.

“They have voluntarily adopted the South African Press Code to guide them in their decision making as they go about gathering and distributing news and opinion. The Press Council is the custodian of that code.

The code does respect the country's constitution because the choices are not dictated by institutions outside the newsrooms.

Close to 700 publications - all the major ones - through the length and breadth of the country subscribe to this code,” Thloloe said. “The Press Code sets out why we have journalism: 'The primary purpose of gathering and distributing news and opinion is to serve society by informing citizens and enabling them to make informed judgments on the issues of the time.

' It goes on to state: 'The freedom of the press allows for an independent scrutiny to bear on the forces that shape society.' The code is a guide for journalists when they make decisions and journalism is about decisions: what story to cover, who to interview, what questions to ask, what pictures to take and what words to use in the writing of the story, the headline and the poster. The quality of our decisions rests squarely on our ethics and values as journalists. The code is a quick reference as we go about our business.”

He explained that complaints against newspapers and magazines were adjudicated by the Press Ombudsman and the Press Appeals Panel.

“The Press Appeals Panel also has six press and six public representatives, and is headed by a retired judge. When we get a complaint, we first try and resolve the matter amicably between the two parties. If that fails, we move to the stage of a hearing in which the Ombudsman is assisted by one press and one public representative from the Appeals Panel.

The decisions are taken by majority vote,” said Thloloe. “If one of the parties is dissatisfied with the decision, they may take the matter on appeal to the judge, who in turn is assisted by one press and one public representative. The decisions of the judge are final.”

Labels: AMOS CHANDA, CHILUBA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA

posted by MrK @ 5:58 AM