Minister of Information and Media, Honorable Chushi Kasanda has commended the media fraternity in Zambia for being proactive and mobilising themselves to translate the presidential pronouncement on self-regulation into action a few days after the announcement.
Speaking at the third Media Self-Regulation Insaka at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lusaka on Wednesday,13 October 2021, the Minister said the Presidential pronouncement on media self-regulation can only be achieved if concerned people take action to make the pronouncement a reality.
‘’On behalf of the Government, I wish to commend the media fraternity for being proactive as they did not wait for further instructions after the President’s pronouncement’’, the Minister said.
The Honourable added that Government is looking forward to seeing how the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) will promote responsible journalism both in mainstream and social media platforms.
‘’Government is keen to create a media environment where journalists operate freely, without fear of political intimidation and violence’’, said the Honourable.
She has urged every Zambian to take positive action whenever the President makes a pronouncement related to their sector of interest.
She also urged the ZAMEC to embrace social media platforms in its resolutions as they play a significant role as a communication tool alongside traditional media.
‘’While most newspapers today have circulation figures under ten thousand, there are Facebook and Twitter accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers. Some have even crossed the one million mark. If we are to think outside the box, such platforms should be embraced by the Media Council so that their administrators observe media ethics and generate advertising revenue’’, she said.
