Zambia: Government backtracks on deadline to impose a statutory media regulator

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Ronnie Shikapwasha, says government has abandoned its demand that media associations should establish a credible, self-regulatory system within six months, failure to which it would legislate for a statutory one.

Shikapwasa told members of the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) in a meeting on 7 January 2010, that the government would instead allow the MLC to work according to the timetable it had set for itself, which would entail the establishment of a media driven, non-statutory, self-regulatory system by April 2010.

 

The Minister thanked the MLC for submitting to his office it’s proposed framework for self regulation, reports of study tours that the MLC had so far undertaken to Kenya and South Africa to understand how media regulation worked in those countries and the timeline for the establishment of a self-regulatory mechanism to replace the failed Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ).

 

“As you have noticed, 31 December 2009 has passed without any sparks. We looked at the timeline and also the framework you submitted and we think the documents are progressive,” Shikapwasha said.

 

He added that the Vice-President and Minister of Justice, George Kunda, who had been threatening to introduce a bill for statutory regulation of the media, was in favour of the Kenyan model of self-regulation of the media which was also statutory, though industry driven. Shikapwasha told the MLC that he will attend the proposed national conference because government wanted to be part of the process of establishing a credible, self-regulatory mechanism. He also assured the MLC that government had agreed to allow the media to go ahead with its plans for a non-statutory regulator.

 

In response to a question, Shikapwasha said there was a possibility of government funding whatever self-regulatory body the MLC would establish because Zambian media organisations alone might not be able to sustain such a body financially on account of the anticipated high set-up and running costs.

 

The meeting, which was held in Shikapwasha’s office, was also attended by Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary, Ngosa Chisupa and two other officials.

 

MLC spokesperson, Amos Chanda, who led the media associations’ delegation, told Shikapwasha that  there was an outstanding study visit to Tanzania and Botswana and a “media strategic planning retreat” at which the draft self-regulatory framework developed by the MLC would be refined before being presented to a national conference, where it is hoped that all stakeholders, including government, would buy into it.

 

Chanda also conveyed to Shikapwasha the MLC’s worry over conflicting statements coming from Kunda and other ministers, which suggested that government had no regard for the MLC’s attempts to establish a non-statutory regulatory mechanism.

 

The MLC comprises the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, Panos Institute Southern Africa, Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA), United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Zambia Union of Broadcasters and other Information Disseminators (ZUBID), Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), Press Freedom Committee of The Post (PFC) and Catholic Media Services (CMS).

 

Background

 

In June 2010, Kunda urged the media to come up with an effective self-regulation framework in six months or face statutory regulation. He said this when he met the MLC, which had gone to complain to him about recurring incidents of harassment of journalists, mainly instigated by ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) cadres,  the stalled media law reforms and government’s threats to impose a statutory media regulator. //End//

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Reagan Malumo

Programme Officer: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research

Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat

21 Johann Albrecht St

Private Bag 13386

Windhoek

Namibia

Phone: +264 61 232 975

Fax: +264 61 248 016

Mobile: +264 81 311 2626

E mail: reagan@misa.org

www.misa.org 

 

- January 11, 2010 by Reagan Malumo

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Source: www.misa.org (received via mail alert on 11.01.2010)