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| National |
| Journalists to meet Muluzi on violence |
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by
Aubrey Mchulu, 14 July 2003
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14:03:40
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Editors from private media houses met in Blantyre on Saturday and resolved to seek an audience with President Bakili Muluzi to register concern over politically-motivated violence against journalists which threatens press freedom.
Press freedom watchdog National Media Institute of Southern Africa (Namisa) information officer Innocent Chitosi said the meeting was convened to review the state of media environment in the wake of the beating up of Nation photojournalist Daniel Nyirenda and other journalists who were harassed during the UDF mini-convention on July 7.
“The editors agreed to seek an audience with President Bakili Muluzi on the problem in the interest of preserving Malawi’s hard-won freedom of expression,” said Chitosi in a statement.
The planned audience with Muluzi comes barely days after the Namibia-based Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) wrote Muluzi condemning Nyirenda’s attack and urged the president to commit himself and his government to ensure the safety of journalists in Malawi.
Nyirenda was severely beaten-up by UDF Young Democrats at the party’s mini-convention at Chichiri International Conference Centre where he also lost a digital camera, a still camera and a cellphone to his attackers.
During the Saturday meeting, attended by editors from Nation Publications Limited, Blantyre Newspapers Limited, Capital Radio, The Chronicle, MIJ Radio and representatives of Power FM 101 and Namisa, Namisa chairman Denis Mzembe said Malawi is ranked third in media freedom violations after Zimbabwe and Zambia in the 14-nation Southern Africa Development Community.
Nation Publications Limited Editor-In-Chief Alfred Ntonga thanked local and international media houses for publicising Nyirenda’s attack and condemning the act.
He observed that Nyirenda’s attack was not because he was unprofessional, as politicians have often accused journalists, but suppression of facts by the party functionaries because his attack happened before his picture or story were published.
Capital Radio proprietor Alaudin Osman emphasised the need for journalists to publicise harassment of fellow journalists besides striving to publish balanced stories, while Chronicle publisher Rob Jamieson said journalists need to network with human rights non-governmental organisations and the donor community. |
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