Tuesday, December 24, 2024

ZNBC a Disgrace to the Nation

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ZNBC DG Richard Mwanza with Airtel Zambia CEO Peter Correia as the Mr Mwanza takes his time to tour Airtel Head Office: Network Center on Wednesday , July 13th 2016
ZNBC DG Richard Mwanza with Airtel Zambia CEO Peter Correia as the Mr Mwanza takes his time to tour Airtel Head Office: Network Center on Wednesday , July 13th 2016

The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) which prides itself in being a public broadcaster is a disgrace and is doing this nation a disservice. I make this observation in light of its partisan and unpatriotic reporting in the last few months.

It is not debatable that in the last few months, when you switch to ZNBC news, the headlines have been obvious: President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Inonge Wina, Esther Lungu, Chishimba Kambwili, usually in that order. In short ZNBC has virtually transformed itself into a PF propaganda wing.

But what happened last night is a scandal. The Constitutional Court passed a landmark judgment to the effect that cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and provincial ministers should vacate their offices forthwith and pay back salaries and allowances they have been drawing. Muvi TV gave this item prominence and it came out as the first headline during its 1830 hours prime time news.

Sadly our “Dead NBC” chose to ignore this historic landmark judgment during its 1900 hours news. They chose to give prominence to PF campaigns as usual. Interestingly, during the 2200 hours news, the headline was that “President Lungu accepts Constitutional Court Judgment”, again trying to give prominence to Lungu’s response rather than the actual judgment. We know that the majority of viewers watch the 1900 hours news more than the 2200 hours news. Therefore, this was deliberate and intended to deny the majority of Zambians critical information.

This is unacceptable for a media house that is supposed to serve public interest and uses taxpayers’ money to function. ZNBC under Richard Mwanza is the worst we have seen in the history of this country, and if he has any iota of conscience remaining in him he should step down.

I call upon all well-meaning Zambians to come together and compel ZNBC to begin to serve the interests of the public. As for the judgment, let us ensure that no former minster stays in office today and that they do not get away with the repayments.

By Eros Ilunga

39 COMMENTS

  1. What do you expect when professionals sell out to airheads like Chishimba Kambwili?A completer overhaul is needed

    • Actually ZNBC is worse than a disgrace. It is a disaster! How can they give you ‘news’ about PF for 25 minutes immediately followed by a chain of PF adverts. Isn’t that annoying even to PF sympathisers?

    • You all dont have the words, ZNBC is not just more than a disgrace, it is an archaic museum of journalism..and what do you expect with such ugly Richard Mwanza…all museum material…I am sure the Airtel CEO was totally traumatized with both Mwanza’s looks and what ZNBC does…

    • And to think, bias in the public media was one of the things PF used to jump up and down about and promised to change. “Under us it will be different” Sure? I guess the only thing they really wanted to change was the public media reporting against PF when it was still under MMD. How’s that for putting the nation first?

  2. I just don’t see any sense in having these so called “government owned media”. These are loss making institutions which must be privatized. Government spends a lot of tax payers’ money to bail out these institution. Privatise them by selling them to capable ZAMBIANS. Kwasila.

    • The Post just like the Daily Nation, are not funded by your tax. Those two papers are at liberty to take sides; we have no problem. But it’s criminal for so called public media to take sides.

    • @Bang Bang only in fake democracies. You must be talking about State Media. Public media doesnt serve any government. It serves the public

    • Like all of this failed lawyer Lungus PF projects, they have even FAILED to close down the Post Newspaper!

      Add another FAILURE to the long list of PF FAILURES!

      -mealie meal prices
      -inflation
      -corruption
      -loadshedding
      -water and sewage (except the sewage Kambwili talks, of that there is more than enough!)
      -UNZA meal allowances
      -unemployment (ubufi 500,000 jobs and instead we have LOST over 10,000!)

      While Lungu uses taxpayers money to to visit his friends Musuveni and Mugabe to learn how to suppress democracy and rig elections, and hire US$ 300,000 airplanes for a holiday for him and his friends in New York!

      Zambians, the time to vote these thieves and incompetents OUT! Vote wisely!

  3. They say too much of anything is Bad.. Test that by putting too much salt in your relish. Too much sugar in your cup of tea. This is how ZNBC operates of late.You may wounder if it has became a PF broadcaster.
    Why should Zambians be subjected to pay T.V levy for just for hearing each news item about One Chagwa Lungu and PF minions.People have now switched to Muvi t.v and on dstv Zambezi magic channel160 ..
    Mwebena ZAMBIA bale michinga you will watch excellent T.V broadcast on channel 160 H.H and Nawakwi are all give chance to Express themselves and sell out there vision.

  4. ZNBC’ disgrace’ is an understatement, it is in fact the PF regime that is a mockery, scandalous:

    . blockage/blackout of Opposition from public media – ZNBC Radio, ZNBC TV, Zambia Daily Mail,
    Times of Zambia, ZANIS Et cetera
    .Shutdown of the Post Newspaper

    Shameful Dununa Reverse!

  5. To say that ZNBC is a disgrace is to attempt to be civil. The rubbish that is spewed at ZNBC every evening is to say the least a travesty to the profession of journalism. I’m glad I work for a place where they allow you to say things the way you see them. I hope one day a politician with enough testosterone or estradiol 17 beta comes and closes ZNBC and fires them all, the way Mulungushi textiles company was.
    I also wish that we had advocated that there should no longer by TV levy and let PF or whichever ruling party comes to power fund ZNBC from their party funds. Otherwise what those airheads and talking heads at ZNBC do every night could hardly come anywhere near to being described as journalism or else the colleges where those folks did their diplomas should be audited for academic…

  6. watch this disgraceful mwanza. what is he doing at airtel? conniving to rig elections? watch every stooge of the useless party and useless president ever.

  7. ZNBC currently operates like the infamous Nazi propaganda machine of Paul Joseph Goebbels. I stopped a long time ago listening to the malicious propaganda which ZNBC spews on our silver screens everyday. I hope that the Constitutional Court will soon declare unconstitutional and illegal ZNBC’s biased and unbalanced reporting of political affairs. It is depressing to see how our national broadcaster has been turned into a ruling party mouthpiece.

  8. ZNBC has always been a shameless bootlicker of the president and party in govt. If you were unfortunate enough to have been alive in KK era you agree with me we were tormented day and night by ZNBC praise singing for KK. A ggod part of 5 minutes of news time used to be taken up in saluting KK, UNIP and it’s govt. Despite democracy this evil culture of worshiping the president has continued.

  9. We voted for Pf and Pf is ruling and will continue even after 2021. If you don’t like it either join Pf and be happy or migrate. You alone chose to be in the ever losing party why complain.

  10. MWANZA WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE MOST USELESS MD EVER EMPLOYED AT ZNBC. THIS IS WHAT U GET FOR PROMOTING STUPID THEORIES SUCH AS WAKO NI WAKO. IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS GUY WAS NOT APPOINTED ON MERIT

  11. IN FACT I WOULD LIKE Z N B C TO REFUND ME MY MONEY PAID FOR T V LICENCE AS I AM NOT PF AND HAVE NOT BEING WATCHING THE PF PROPAGANDA ON IT.

  12. Dead NBC is what it is, DEAD! Who freaking watches such nonsense? PF has been extremely disappointing as far as freedom of expression, free press, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement. Now, without such freedoms then what sort of democracy is ours???

  13. I keep saying party election manifestos need to have a vow that if they win they wont be controlling Dead NBC. HH ARE YOU PROMISING US a FREE DEAD NBC??? If not why? Political parties should not be SILENT about Dead NBC

  14. @The Chosen one. For the Tax the Past Newspaper can be compared to Times of Zambia, but for who they support in their reporting Ownership comes in and no one can compare!?w

  15. Why write an opinion of a disgruntled derailed UPND sympathizer as though it was a credible report but an opinion or a letter to the editor? What a poor heading! LT who writes these stuff for you? This kind of journalism is pathetic! If you expect ZNBC to be like the Post Newspaper then you are crazy! ZNBC is a professional body and never has to carry out the agenda of a few people who want to sell Zambia! Come Sunday, we will stop hearing about your crazy regionalism!

    • Do you Work for ZNBC or what. Give opinion and not arrogant statements. You are Just proving to be shallow Minded.

  16. Actually, @Je Je and Hazalusa Hagain will go into history as the most tribal political party that ever appeared in Zambia! Gladly bazalusa Hagain!

    • All of you Can be leaders coz you cant take the truth. Its bitter and always will. This is not a complain or cadre front but for public opinion.

  17. The hate these demagogues carry as observed here daily is the reason enough why Zambia will never experiment with such likeminded haters! God bless Edgar!

    • Under five party should put this on record, even if znbc covered you 24/7 you cant win. Currently you have alot of tv and radio representation country wide but see your complaints. Znbc is not just about news time their so many programs they air and features political players across the board so what is it that you are complainig about. Weather you like it or not Ecl is a president of Zambia and if is officiating some where other than just rallies he is supposed to be covered. So tough icikonko tachimikata bwino.

  18. Please LT, be professional! Don’t report a letter of a disgruntled element as though it were news and you put a photo on it! Are you like the Post Newspaper too?

  19. Ba Mwanza knows that with the incoming the UPND government, his job sadly will be dangling by a a thread of a spiders web, what a pity to sacrifice professional ethics for PF political chaps that are here today and gone tomorrow.

  20. ZNBC MORE MATURE AND RESPONSIBLE MEDIA HOUSE
    ==================================
    It takes mature individuals to understand ZNBC’s role in this country. You, yes, you can not compare ZNBC to these mushrooming irresponsible TV and Radio station dotted around the country. I fully support the actions of ZNBC until politicians in this country became mature and responsible enough to save Zambia and the innocent citizens not influenced by these overzealous backyard TV and Radio Stations. The same ZNBC insulted and castigated today becomes heavily cherished by any opposition party that through God’s grace assumes power to rule the Noble people of this land. I support ZNBC on moral rather than political grounds. I rest my case! Long live ZNBC!

  21. Muvi TV does one hell of a job showcasing people pouring their heart felt issues to the general public. No lies, unrehearsed, no intimidation, just hardship vulnerable people are facing so bravo Muvi TV. Kambwili’s interview was a joke, he seemed more of a bully than anything. He could not articulate and kept coming up with his own ideologies. However, he did confess on TV that “sonta” was Guy Scott’s creation which shows no vision but copy and paste on PF’s part. Question about infrastructure where roads have stopped, clinics have no water or toilets yet he sings infrastructure. PF can’t pay people yet its “sonta!” Pure failures!! Are people going to eat roads? No money to fix a vehicle or buy petrol how good is that road? Colleges, you can’t pay lectures, how good is that…

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