Information ministry speaks on move to establish self-regulation in media industry

Government has clarified that lack of participation by its technocrats in formulating the Media Association for Pure Self-Regulation (MAPSR) does not entail that it is against the idea.

Information and Media Permanent Secretary, Kennedy Kalunga, has explained that the MAPSR is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and that government does not take part in the setting up of such organisations, but instead set up statutory bodies.

Kalunga has however in a statement issued yesterday welcomed the unveiling of the pure self-regulation framework, under the auspices of the MAPSR.

“For avoidance of doubt, the position of the Ministry of Information and Media is that government does not set up NGOs. It sets up statutory bodies and consequently provides administrative support to stakeholders that want information and media-related regulatory frameworks backed by law,” he said.

Kalunga noted that the Ministry views the framework, which the media owners and the associated interest groups have established for pure self-regulation framework as an NGO and that it appreciated that government does not establish, these but only collaborates with them.

The Ministry, he said, was therefore happy and ready to work with the MASPSR on matters of mutual interest.

Kalunga also said President Hakainde Hichilema on August 9, 2022 assented to the Zambia institute of Public Relations and Communications Act No.11 of 2022.

He explained that this law empowered public relations and communication practitioners in Zambia to manage their affairs independent of the government.

“With regards to the draft layman’s Bill submitted by the journalists, the Ministry regrets to report that, upon facilitating the process up to the Ministry of Justice for professional legislative drafting, the process was halted by an association of media owners who intimated that the draft bill contained clauses that were inimical to the interests of media owners,” he said.

Kalunga said in its quest to promote harmony in the media industry, the Ministry called for a mediating meeting between the media owners and the journalists, to allow owners point out the clauses that they found to be detrimental to the management of the media houses.

In that meeting, he said, it emerged that the document that the media owners were citing was not the one that was before the Ministry of Justice.

“The document that was at the Ministry of Justice did not have any of the clauses that the media owners were citing. The meeting resolved to adjourn so that the media owners could go and review the appropriate draft bill.

“About three months after the adjourning the meeting, the Ministry received information through press that the media owners and various interest groups were setting up a pure self-regulation framework,” Kalunga said.

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