27 November 2008
MEDIA bodies have maintained that they are opposed to statutory regulation saying the move will be inconsistent with freedom of the Press and democracy.
Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) president, Andrew Sakala, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) chairperson Henry Kabwe and Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ) general secretary, Chapadongo Lungu said statutory regulation would undermine press freedom.
Mr Sakala said that the Members of Parliament (MPs) were in support of statutory regulations simply because they targeted certain institutions.
Such regulations, Mr Sakala said would not move the country forward but would be against the tenets of democracy that the Government had for sometime been promoting.
"We are opposed to statutory regulation. Laws that are targeted at individuals and institutions and are vindictive do not move democracy forward," Mr Sakala said.
He said that it was wrong that the Government and some MPs were basing their argument over statutory regulation on media coverage in the period running to the October 30 polls.
Mr Sakala advised politicians not to be emotional, as a result of the media coverage in the period running to the elections, but debate the issue objectively.
"Everyday the media regulates itself but the problem is lack of knowledge about self regulation. Before every story is published it has to pass through many hands. Even the law of libel enables the media exercises self-regulation" Mr Sakala said.
He also complained that there was a tendency by politicians to praise the media when they felt that the coverage was slanted towards their side and heavily criticises it when the opposite was the case.
So far, Mr Sakala said that no member of the public had complained about media coverage except for politicians, saying their demand for statutory regulation was therefore unwarranted.
He said that in countries with advanced democracy, self-regulation of the media was promoted as opposed to statutory.
"Politicians need to seriously reflect before coming up with statutory regulation. The problem is that they change depending on the side that they find themselves," Mr Sakala said.
Mr Kabwe said that if the government or any other stakeholders were not happy with the media coverage, they were free to engage media bodies in dialogue.
He said that media bodies had all the time been ready to dialogue with the Government or any other stakeholders on pertinent issues like the regulation of the media.
He advised the Government not to be emotional when dealing with such a sensitive matter. He said that being emotional over such an issue would lead to the Government making an irrational decision.
"As MISA we are opposed to statutory regulation of the media and if the Government is not happy with the way the media report they are free to dialogue with us so that we find the best way forward," Mr Kabwe said.
Mr Lungu said that already the media was regulating itself well saying statutory regulation would be subjecting it to political manipulations.
He pointed out that each media organisation had been strictly adhering to media ethics and so the demands for statutory regulation were invalid.
"The only thing that the media has done is not to dance to the tune of politicians and they have used that as an excuse to demand for statutory regulation," Mr Lungu said.
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