IPI delegation in for discussions on media regulation

IPI delegation in for discussions on media regulation
By Salim Dawood
Mon 11 Oct. 2010, 14:04 CAT

A Five-member International Press Institute (IPI) delegation has arrived in Zambia for a series of meetings with media bodies and is also expected to hold discussions with government on media regulation in the country. The delegation headed by IPI acting director Alison Bethel McKenzie arrived in the country on Monday, October 11 and is expected to leave next Sunday.

IPI Press Freedom Advisor Naomi Hunt who is part of the delegation said the delegation was in the country to, among other activities, meet with information and broadcasting services minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha to find a common ground on media regulation in the country.

Hunt said the delegation was also looking forward to learning lessons about media environment in Zambia and to find journalists that would set up a national committee for the IPI.

She said another objective of the delegations’ visit was to raise awareness about press freedom issues and to meet with journalists to discuss the media environment.

Hunt said the delegation believed that self regulation was the best and most effective way and only acceptable form of media regulation.

“I believe that self regulation is the best and most effective way for the media to be regulated and really it’s the only acceptable way. We are hoping to have a meeting with the information minister which is yet to be determined in time, we are hoping that we really have a productive meeting with the minister to find some common ground on the regulation issue,” Hunt said.

The delegation is expected to meet with the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), The Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspapers (PFC), and the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) among others during its week-long visit.

Hunt said the arrangements for a meeting with Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha were yet to be finalised but indicated the meeting would most likely take place this Wednesday.

Two weeks ago Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said government would not change its position over its resolve to impose statutory media regulation for the Zambian media and would not listen to the IPI advice for the media to regulate itself.

Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the IPI should be neutral and should not dictate to government on what should be done concerning the regulation of the media.

But PFC secretary general, Sheik Chifuwe said the IPI visit to Zambia was a welcome solidarity visit that would add value to the campaign for self-media regulation and other media freedoms.

“The IPI is worldwide organisations whose voice shall definitely add value to the campaign for self media-regulation,” he said.

On Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha’s statement that government was not willing to change its position regarding the regulation of the media, Chifuwe said he believed that the minister has had enough time to reflect on the matter between the time he made the statement and now.

“Because I don’t think he (Lt.Gen. Shikapwasha) should continue to be an enemy of the media - it doesn’t make him a champion at all,” said Chifuwe.

Last year government gave media bodies a six-month ultimatum to come up with a self-regulatory mechanism or face statutory media regulation.

The media bodies came up with the Zambia Media Ethics Council (ZAMEC) through the MLC but government has u-turned and insisted on statutory media regulation.