Zambia: Zambian government awaiting MLC response to its statutory regulation proposal

On 7 September 2010, the Zambian government said it was awaiting a response from the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) concerning its proposal for Zambian media to be regulated under a statutory framework.

According to media reports monitored by MISA-Zambia on 4th and 7th September, 2010, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Ronnie Shikapwasha said that the government doors were open for dialogue with the MLC. However in the same articles, the Minister of Information is quoted as saying that government has maintained its position on statutory media regulation.

Shikapwasha said statutory regulation would be the best for Zambia because it was backed by law and its rulings would be enforceable as opposed to a non statutory self- regulation system.

He explained that non-statutory self-regulation as proposed by the Zambian media stakeholders fell short of a genuine regulatory framework because not all media bodies would be part of such a body thereby resulting in what transpired to the Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ) which was replaced by the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) as it was unable to address media adherence to ethics.

“So my office is open and the doors of our officers working on this important matter are also open. I am happy that the senior media personnel have also joined in this important issue and this is good for us to find the balance and lasting solution to issues affecting the media industry in the country. This is the decision by government. Issues of self media regulation deal with the lives of  people, so it is necessary that we check our professionalism. Yes, we are ready as government to discuss,” Shikapwasha said.

Background

On 11 August 2010, the MLC announced that ZAMEC would be launched on 26 August 2010 but rescinded its decision on 19 August 2010 to do so when Society of Senior Zambian Journalists (SSZJ) indicated that they would try to address the impasse between government and the MLC. The press story was published on 19 August 2010 in which the SSZJ stated that it was happy with the response from government and the media over its proposed effort to address the stalemate over media regulation through bringing the two to a round table meeting which is yet to take place. //End//

-September 09, 2010 by MISA

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Source: www.misa.org (received via e-mail alert on 10.09.2010)