MISA Zambia today hosted a dissemination event for the Legal and Regulatory Research and the report on Media Capture titled ‘Transparency and Trust: Newsroom Policies’.
During the dissemination event, Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary Kennedy Kalunga in a Speech read on his behalf by Director Planning and Information at the Ministry, Derrick Saboi emphasized that government remains committed to ensuring that the media environment is free and allows media to carry out its mandate.
“Government will prioritize support to the media to carry out its mandate towards countering misinformation and disinformation which has affected the dissemination of information. “ Mr Saboi said.
Mr Saboi says the report is important for government to make informed decisions and also exposes areas that media houses can actually focus on in terms of trying to improve their operations and businesses.
“The findings of the report present an opportunity for the ministry to find out in terms of the areas that require policy and legal reforms.” He added.
And Senior Legal Officer at the Thompson Reuters Foundation Gakii Mbae called on the media to understand various laws that impact their work and legal laws that will provide guidance to their editorial work.
Meanwhile, MISA Zambia National Director Austin Kayanda, said that freedom of expression and media freedom are fundamental rights that constitute a functional democracy as they promote good governance through the effective participation of citizens in the governance processes through the available platforms.
The research and content discussed on Media Capture at this event were developed by Code for Africa. The Legal research discussed in the second session was facilitated by TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono service.
The convening was facilitated by funding from the Thomson Reuters Foundation in line with its commitment to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights through its unique services; news, media development, free legal assistance and convening initiatives.
