Misa Malawi condemns MBC, urges Macra to act on unprofessional conduct
Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi Chapterhas condemned public broadcaster MBCtv for using swearwords against the country’s vice president Saulos Chilima on Monday evening news bulletin.
Misa Malawi chapter chairperson Teresa Ndanga said in a statement that the use of swearwords by public broadcaster MBC TV is immoral and an attack on professional journalism.
In the report that was narrated by journalist Henry Haukeya, the station used a screenshot of Facebook comments with swearwords targeted at the Vice President Saulos Chilima.
MBC management has since apologized for the broadcast saying it was an oversight on the part of the editorial team.
But Misa Malawi finds the broadcast not only shameful but a serious attack on journalism and Malawi’s moral standards.
Reads the statement in part: “It is against Malawian culture and the principles and values of professional journalism. The Communications Act of 2016 is clear on MBC’s public service obligations. It is appalling that the public broadcaster acted in such a manner.”.
Ndanga urge individual journalists at MBC to rise above partisan journalism and embrace a culture of professionalism and integrity to safeguard their own career, media freedom and independence.
She has also asked Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) to discipline MBC and ensure the station is professional and operates according to the provisions of the Communications Act.
Ndanga has also asked parliament to take concrete steps that’s would guarantee nonpartisan programming at MBC at all times.
MBC if full of cadets masquerading as journalists. These cadets were planted at MBC to castigate the opposition in an effort to please Peter Mutharika.
Unfortunately both MBC Director General and MACRA Director General are both DPP cadets. If this unbecoming behaviour was done by any private radio you could have seen swift reaction from Godfery Itaye and his team at MACRA. We find solace to know the fact that these cadets will no be there at the helm of thses organization after 2 July. I hope they are going to retire together with Mutharika after the elections.
Was it written by the televisions employees or aired on error? Lets stop politicizing everything. Malawi is a free country with freedom of speech. Who ever wrote that was expressing himself, same as Americans say “fuck.” The Television made a mistake airing that and has apologized. The same as Nyasatimes or any Organisations issues apologies and detractions. We clearly don’t want it to become a habit kutukwana on TV, but we also don’t want to make a habit of over censuring the media. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY FUCK CHILIMA,CHAKWERA and JOYCE BANDA IN PEACE!!
I cannot digest the excuse given by MBC that it was just by mere editorial lapse. The main issue lies on what you have in the repository. If you had good stuff in your storage, even a blunder would have captured that good thing. Since you have a lot of evil in your storage, what comes out will be evil. In the first place why even keep it in your files???
Henry Haukeya, I can guess where he come from.
This is not a mistake at all! It was planned. The comments with the vulgar language was carefully selected from Facebook and a screenshot taken. How can that be a mistake?
Thank you MISA, but that is not enough. Please summon Cadet Haukeya for disciplinary hearing and then demand his dismissal sothat other cadets like Maseya and Chisano should learn a lesson. If nothing of this sort is done, it is likely to happen again. What the cadet did is unethical. MIJ watch out, this the crop of journalists you have trained and certified to have qualified from the job – Look what is happening. You need to review your curriculum. I don’t think a Poly graduate or Chanco graduate can behave like this – ndi a Form 4 omwewa ackuchita… Read more »
Form 4 yake yokokelanso
With highest speed into deaf ears!
It’s very unfortunate that these people keep on repeating the same mistakes despite being told by different stake holders to change their programming. They are so inclined to propaganda to the extent of throwing out their journalistic ethics to the dogs. The sad thing is that they don’t know that their conduct can ruin their careers. Sometimes you wonder where these people were trained.
They were trained not in a journalism school but ena ku jando, ena ku ndagala, ena …
Ndikomwenso anthu ngati Mchacha and Mulli got their Jerusalem certificates.
Mr Mutharika value this. The boys and girls at MBC are competing on who attacks other leaders most for the old man likes those things. He has no idea at one time, he wont be president he will be a retired man with no power just like Muluzi has no power. Mpakana kutikwana pa radio. MACRA is just happy. I wonder how could things be if the station was private? The whole station could have been shut, all management arrested by MACRA. DPP and MUTHARIKA have made history.