Sue public media for blackout, opposition urged

By NATION REPORTER

THE media team for Tonse Pamodzi Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile has accused state-owned media institutions of deliberately blacking out Saturday’s mega rally in Kitwe and has called on the opposition to seek legal redress over unfair and unbalanced coverage.

In a statement yesterday, the media hub said the failure by public media outlets to cover a “historic” and “mammoth” rally raised serious concerns about media impartiality during the election period.

According to the statement, the absence of coverage by state-owned media demonstrated how editorial decisions were increasingly being influenced by financial and political considerations rather than news value.

“The coverage, or lack of it, of yesterday’s (Saturday) mammoth rally in Kitwe by traditional media shows how money has replaced editorial judgment,” the statement said.

The media team also said government ownership of major media institutions had failed to reflect the aspirations and interests of ordinary citizens.

“It also shows how government ownership of the two major newspapers and ZNBC remains irrelevant to the aspirations of the Zambian people,” the statement read.

The statement singled out the national broadcaster for criticism, accusing it of ignoring the major political event of the day.

“That the ZNBC decided to ignore the major story of the day, the historical rally in Kitwe, is not only editorial cowardice but foolhardy by the decision makers on Alick Nkhata Road,” the statement said.

The media hub warned that if the trend continued, opposition political parties would be justified in petitioning the High Court to seek the suspension of media executives, drawing parallels with developments during the country’s political transition in 1991.

“If this trend continues, which is blatantly against electoral rules, the opposition should be more than justified to petition the High Court to have the media heads suspended as it happened in 1991,” the statement said.

The group also questioned the conduct of some private media houses, alleging that commercial interests may be influencing editorial decisions.

“As for the private newspapers, it is clear the one paying the piper is calling the tune,” the statement said.

The media team also encouraged opposition parties to lodge complaints with the Electoral Commission of Zambia, arguing that electoral regulations require balanced and fair reporting during campaigns.

“Professionally, editorial content is never paid for. It is advertising that should be paid for,” the statement said.

It alleged that there was growing public perception that some media institutions were providing extensive coverage to the ruling party while giving little or no attention to opposition activities.

The statement, however, expressed gratitude for the role of social media platforms in disseminating information.

“Thank God we have social media, otherwise only Kitwe residents would have known about what happened there,” the statement stated.

Ends.