Malawi journalism: Case of inconsiderate employers and hopeless employees

Malawi is more than interesting, and can pass for a perfect laboratory test item.

This is one country where everything thing else is gone awry wrong. With all priorities flipped upside down.

Even the kids are spending more time in virtual worlds on cell phones, punctuated by premature sex overtures.

Meanwhile, as the law enforcers turn a blind eye on brothels that abuse under age girls, with nearly no titties at all but serving clients as old as the home affairs minister himself, the people that should investigate and reveal such social vice are being offered nuts at the end of the month.

Dont be fooled by the majority of journalists waltzing around in sexed up attires with fake labels – looking good and manicured.

These boys and girls living off news are shadows of their own misery. Behind that layby expensive Gucci suit is a wage slip of just about K20,000, gross.

Dont ask me about the cart home net pay. I dont wanna cry, not just as yet – at least.

I know of a radio station where the highest paid journalist gets K80,000 and the least paid, so they say is K30,000. And that is not all. These guys have gone more than four months without pay.

As this happens, the politician-owner is living a luxurious life that he expenses sausages every morning in the manner of a chain smoker.

Then there is this pathetic religious radio-television family business. Everyone out there do not only share the same surname, but also share the same residential home and therefore also dipping their little plumpy fat fingers in onion soup bowls from the same godamn meal table.

Bet business meetings are conducted at the same table.

As a Christian faith media entity, expectation would be that the employees, most ropped from within the family church membership, would get better pay and timely wage.

This is a work place where only about 15 people work but go months without pay, against a church reaping of millions every month in offerings, western ‘faith’ donations, and God what have you.

This is a place where interns work up to two years without a word on way forward or confirmation, and those hired go as far as three years on probation.

But what do you expect of a God-fearing family made up of media house owner, whose wife is the general manager, the son the station manager, the daughter the accountant, and all that churchly jazz!

Then there is one famous radio going by a ditit name, where employees get as little as the shop boy at Tutlas.

In common, the journalist in this part of Africa carts home on average approx K20,000 when, as argued by the Journalists Union of Malawi, and presented by the Centre for Social Concern, the monthly bread basket should be K126,000 a month.

And that in itself translates a rental house of K30,000 per monthly and one decent meal of beef in a week!

And the so called media conglomerates, if you like, can afford to pay its managers, support department heads and executives in accounts, sales and marketing in zillions. The foot soldier, the core establishment ‘item’, the journalist, gets nillions.

No wonder they mostly live off bribes, khaki envelopes, gate crush at functions for free meals and booze, demand allowances, etc.

Yes, again, thats why politicians and crooked business people take advantage of poor journalists reduced to scavengers.

You may call this a dog eat dog world, but hey, this leads to poor media watchdog role. No quality checks. A loose society follows. Corrupt murderous cops, lawyers, politicians, business shitters, low and inadequate health and education standards, etc.

Pay the messenger his rightful dues. Thank you Juma for kicking start the good fight and laying bare the situation.

Pay peanuts and attract monkeys. Its a business that can live its salt only if the core element, the journalist, is inspired, motivated, well compensated and rewarded well.

And check those field allowances too, greedy employers!

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