MISA Zambia has called on all media houses in the country to be ethical during their course of duty.
Speaking in a statement, MISA Zambia Chairperson Hellen Mwale says the media is expected to adhere to its ethics religiously to avoid creating public mistrust in them and in turn their credibility which ultimately impacts the development and governance discourse of a country.
Mwale says the media is trained to compile and publish information for public consumption and its right is part of the Zambian Constitution, the need for the media to be diligent in its function cannot be over -emphasized.
Find below is the full statement.
Keep an eye on media ethics at all times – MISA Zambia
For Immediate Release – Thursday, September 17, 2020.
MISA Zambia is calling on all media houses in Zambia to be ethical as they carry out their function to avoid incidents that can cause them to lose their integrity.
Considering that the media is trained to compile and publish information for public consumption and its right is part of the Zambian Constitution, the need for the media to be diligent in its function cannot be over -emphasised.
As espoused by media scholars, journalism’s obligation is to the truth and allegiance to the citizens and the public at large. However, if media publish falsehoods, its function in society and its constitutional protection is compromised and affects trust in the media among members of the public.
Further, such media houses’ allegiance is then shifted from the public because it is failing to adhere to its role of providing a service for the common good of society. Therefore, publishing of truthful information becomes paramount and this calls for verification of information.
We therefore call on the media to be diligent and vigilant in their role as a watchdog of society and in its role as an agenda setting medium that is informative, educative and entertaining.
During these roles, media is expected to adhere to its ethics religiously to avoid creating public mistrust in them and in turn their credibility which ultimately impacts the development and governance discourse of a country.
Issued by Hellen Mwale
Chairperson – MISA Zambia
