Mr. Lubinda says the PF government will never interfere in the operations of any media organization, not even the public media.
He says government believes that journalists once given the leeway are capable of operating professionally.
Mr. Lubinda notes that media organizations are capable of finding the balance for their news,hence can not be criticized for not covering any politician regardless of political affiliation.
and radio Q-FM Managing director Asan Nyama says the current PF government has an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the previous government in dealing with the media in the country.
Mr. Nyama says the previous government failed to initiate policies that would have benefited the stakeholders in the media in the area of coverage.
He says under the previous MMD government, the state attempted to transform the private media into state run media by dictating the operations of most private radio stations including QFM.
Mr. Nyama recalls that most private media houses that covered opposition political parties were perceived as enemies of the MMD government.
He says it is therefore important for the Patriotic Front government to leave a legacy by ensuring that the freedom of information bill is enacted.
Mr. Nyama has further stated that if former vice president George Kunda allowed the freedom of information bill to be passed in parliament during the MMD’s rule, he would not be complaining about coverage by the public media.
QFM
Hon Lubinda we are are behind you sir and my the good Lord keep you blessed so you can work hard for our nation
gogo lubinda since you were appointed min of info you promised not to interfere and you have marked your world way to go:d
I think the minister is being hypocritical. If PF does not want to interfere then why appoint political cadres to run the public media? Isnt this interference? In fact he broke the law of corporate governance which demands that the boards of directors be the employers rather than the president or minister. By appointing media heads he has already interfered big time. How can the appointees report anything negative on the appointing authority? Already we have seen the praise the public media is showering on the PF government despite the numerous stupid errors they have made. So please do not insult the intelligentia of Zambia. Nothing straight is coming from this government. They are always confused because they do not keep track of what they are doing. Do they have an agenda for Zambia?
Hypocrites, have you not been thretening to close WD??????
It was refreshing to see an opposition party member in GK on the main news openly criticisÃng the sitting Govt. This was unheard of not only in the last Govt but also, all previous Govt (KKs included.)Â
Lier, how was Given announcing the issue of Universal printers? He was appearingon the same ZNBC. Jst bcoz u had boycotted it doesnt mean he wasnt appearing. The problem wth PF cadres, u still thnk u r in opposition and feel good if Daily Mail gives u coverage
It was refreshing to see an opposition party member in George Kunda on the main news openly criticisÃng the sitting Govt. This was unheard of not only in the last Govt but also, all previous Govt (KKs included.)Â
@5 coronez, good observation here. how is shikspwasha? anyway i dont miss him. mr lubinda just enact the foi bill and shame the devils. we, who have trust in you know that you will do it. but it is taking long. please hurry up.
@3 KAPOKOLA
Spot on PF no agenda
Thumbs up and straight up Mr. Nyama.
PF so far so good….. but we now do not have a paper for the opposition because our beloved Post is now a Govt paper…Daily Mail is better than Post… all the same PF is trying and have done better than MMD… nowadays I watch ZNBC news! The post are afraid of criticising govt..kaya!
The post is not afraid of PF but Kind Fred and King Cobra has entered an agreement. They want to buy Zamtel and ressurect Zambian Airway together with the Ntchito brothers and the Roman Catholic Church.
Why his King Cobra tying to find out the publishers of online publications. Ans: Media Crack down. Just wait and see
True Bwaima Te Bumbi Bulendo. We need a real private paper because the Post is the biggest state controlled/ controlling paper. The Watchdog has the potential to provide checks and balances if it can start producing daily issues.
PF has done better than MMD on national broadcaster as far as coverage is concerned. Although ZNBC employees have every reason to please their pay master PF government. Interference is indisputable any way as pointed out by kapokola
If you appoint media heads, is it not interference? If it is, then what is Lubinda saying? The problem is we have a very inconsistent government. Remember the street vending issue? Nkandu Luo says one thing and later the president says directly the opposite, thereby embarrassing the minister. Later Nkandu Luo was at pains trying to defend her president. I am very saddened by how this government is bahaving. They seem not to know that people are seeing what is happening. Move away from populist pronouncements and work for the Zambians. We are waiting for the delivery on your promises. Pronouncements will not take you anywhere. If you wont interfere with the media then advertise all the top positions in the public media so that only professionals can be employed non partisan.
You UPND guys please give credit where and when it is due. Us no partsan Zambians have noticed that at least in the 3 months of PF rule the public media is doing very well as compared to MMD’s time. It will not pay to always rant even where it so evident. Try by all means to come out of frustration of lossing elections otherwise grudge will consume you before 2016. Accept the fact that PF is there to rule for a solid 5 year term. Be mature guys, it happens..move on.
Lubinda wants to act as a smart guy in this government .so far you seem to be on top of your class.work hard man you may reach the calible of your Malawian counterpart
1) Daily Mail does sound like a pro PF paper these days, especially the way they report on HH, Nevers Mumba and other MMD officials
2) MMD started the same way in 1991 when they came to power. Before 1991 State media was pro UNIP.
So 3 months into PF govt is not enough, Lubinda may be speaking too soon. Hope he says the same come 2014, 2015 and 2016. After all, wasn’t Sata in MMD? Is he going to behave differently when the chips are down, when his popularity and that of PF are lower than they are at the moment?
changing goal posts..sooner than later..they will be unable to do what they promised..and defend..
Oh please who are you kidding?! why is yowa boss always threatening the ZambianWatchdog? And you Nyama why dint you speak then when you were agreaved.
Liar, liar, liar. I can’t stand people who lie with a straight face. If you didn’t want to interfere, then why did you have to appoint your own (PF) editors? You should respect journalism as a profession.
#4 Most Zambians are shameless hypocrites who like to hide behind the bible yet the commit immoral acts like adultery (just to name a few) on an commercial scale!!Â
Indeed, before the errors and misgovernance get noticed, the ministers can encourage the media to be free. MMD did the same in 1990s, leading to provocative programmes on ZNBC like TOPIC by Chibamba and Mumbuna that hammered government. The moment the corrupt practices became glaring, MMD started to persecute the same journalists. As for the Post, days are numbered; any way, we have Daily Nation.
I agree the situation is much better now than before when we were fed an endless stream of pro-MMD articles and negative ones against the PF. That was shameful and violated the public trust so well done PF.
That said, the Daily Mail and others do still sound awfully pro-government and more is needed than lip service to non-interference. In fact didn’t State House fire (pretty much all?) directors/general managers of the state-owned media and fill these posts without advertising the positions? Uh… non-interference? Hello? Â As long as journalists must depend on the ruling party for their job (or even think they do) the media will never be truly independent.
So what if anything does PF have in mind for real change – privatization, full liberalization of the airwaves, or something else?
You’re very right my brother!
Liar.
Nkandu Luo was professing similar sentiments of vendors but alas!
Need to create a channel that is owned by independent operators like CSpan in the US which was created as a gift from cable TV operators. This channel would then cover everyone especially during political campaigns. What RB and Shiakashiwa did in the last election was so embarassing, I get nusea when I recall. I actually puke, infact I have puked. Give me tissue.
The PF Govt is composed of a mixed grill. As Lubinda tries to sing the upholding of democratic principles in suppor of free press, his colleagues (e.g. Kambwili) has been threatening the closure of Muvi TV and the online media (e.g. Zambian Watchdog). It is now a question of who is ethnically closer to President Sata with courage to kill the independent press. Let’s wait and see.
It is still a long way to go for your five years to finish, and we have already seen what kind of chameleons you can be. These foolish people just know how to talk, they were really brainwashed in the opposition and now they have the wrong attitude towards politics. I can’t stand liars and serpent tongues.
MMD should not complain about the Media during there time opposition Parties and genuine NGOs were not covered. George Kunda should think twice and reflect what he used to do. ebumuntu
This is the mosty rubbish thing I have ever heard.
You take a train and put it on a railway line to Chingola. Start the engine and let it go and thenm youi claim that you are not interfering in where the train will go. If it ends up in Chingola, it is not because of you. It took 20 years for the MMD to be s t u p i d but it has taken oinly 100 days for PF. How can you say you do not interfere when you have your OWN appointees running the media? I did not know that Given Lubinda is given to s t u p i d i t y!
@21,Hellow boy the demolisher
No matter what kind of critizm you post here, PF has started on a very good note. Can you tell us the last time you saw Sata or HH on ZNBC TV critisizing the GVT. I know you cant. For your info,GK was on TV the other day talking rubish about PF. Dont call others liars before checking your self. You could be the biggest liar around.
Watchdog should be closed down. It can take Zambia to Rwanda with its obsession with tribal differences and its conflict seeking reporting. There is only one motive at Watchdog Annoy the PF and Bembas.
I agree with Kapokola #3. You dont expect a person you appointed to write that you have farted. He is looking after his interests. I dont see Joe Chilaizya ever being succesful at ZNBC.
The PF should have gone about the whole process in a more sanitised manner. Appointed a board and let the board ADVERTISE the post because there are plenty of qualified Zambians who were left out of the recruitment process by Lubinda’s dogmatic appointments. (By the way this is the correct meaning of DOGMATIC ba Minister not that one you threw at the Malawian Minister.)
Heh! Heh! Heh! Dogmatic is really funny
JJP#18 Let me correct you. MMD had nothing to do with Mumbuna and Chibamba’s programmes. What we seem to forget is that for such programmes to go on air you need journalists with balls. When Chibamba and Mumbuna left ZNBC the MMD through that notorious office in State House (Richard Sakala’s, Dickson Jere’s) pounced to take charge. The staff that remained could not stand up to interference but just wanted to either bootlick or whine. That suited the ruling party. The same happened on the Govt owned papers
ba upnd what really do u want pf to do?to resign and give the govt but pipo have rejected u so many times.
True, except when fixing political opponents, thats all. Not bad eehh?
Ha! Ha! Ha! : KIKI says: If you appoint media heads (and Kiki should have added that “without the boards and all the new appointees are ALL from outside the Zambia Daily Mail, Times and ZNBC themselves, ignoring very senior media people in those media institutions”) is it not interference?
I REST MY CASE
On the media coverage, I think the PF are not interfering with operations. But frankly, I think Daily Mail and Times are doing a little too much of bootlicking. These must be privatised as soon as is possible!
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Lubinda are you thinking using your nuggets?
Could this be the reason why Sata prefers to be the government spokesperson, ‘cause he does not trust you? We know you and your boss don’t really see Eye to Eye very much.
The firing & demoting of Media Editors & Directors from ZNBC, Times of Zambia, Daily and ZANIS from the first 3 weeks in power is a practice of media interfering.
You guys went as far as firing Drivers, Audio Editors, and Camera Men, those perceived to be related to anyone that was in the MMD cabinet.
35 CHARACTER ASSASSIN 00
Good point on Privatisation of the media & Bootlicking
Bootlicking is happening because those that have been recently been promoted to head these media houses by Plot One via Given Lubinda cannot stand on their own feet. If they don’t do as said by the system, they risk being chopped out.
So in summery, Lubinda is not being honest. The government is very much interfering with the media. He is using Amos Malupenga ( Ex Post ) now his Permanent Secretary to coerce & bully these Editors
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Unfortunately this disease started with KK, through Chiluba, Levy, RB and now its on Sata’s door step
I am really surprised at the maturity of the blogging on this subject. Zambian bloggers are not known for tackling issues like this. They are known for insulting each other at every opportunity. Where are the usual insulters?
Indeed, on this topic there seems to be a lot of level-headedness by the bloggers. They are offering some very good advice which political parties like PFcould find useful. Notable are Kapokola, Ice Road Trucker, Tafimbwa Lubilo, Champ, Character Assassin among many others Keep this up!
I am beginning to think that the PF actually believes its own lies.
This new found freedom has confused the Daily Mail and Times of Zambia such that they sensationalise issues to the point of telling obvious lies. Look at the lies peddled against Mr. Andrew Banda and Dr. Nevers Mumba. These two newspapers if not checked will throw the corruption fight out of the window. They convict innocent Zambians like Hon Liato and Hon George Kunda before investigations are concluded. Innocent until proven guilty is what the rights say. Bootlicking by Daily Mail and Times is at its peak. They allow one or two comments from the opposition for window dressing.
Am really disappointed to see shallow thinkers on this blog like #29 kwekwe or rather pwepwe. You dont even comment anything reasonable, all I was saying is that so far, PF have not honored anything they promised, and now they are giving us more promises. Wamvela ci pwepwe, stop acting like a kabova, but reason like a person who’s had education.Â
#29 kwekwe, you belong to a class of thieves, liars, womanizers and I have observed you for too long, your comments are a sum of garbage from a criminal compound, so next time, use those filthy little hands from chibolya for something better, and find someone your own size before you kill yourself, greeny=Hellboy the demolisher, if you still have balls come get me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jokers & i now believe Zambia deserves these fools!