…DPP riding on MACRA to punish local media
Weeks after President Peter Mutharika accused private owned Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) of lying about his health, the radio now faces the possibility of losing its licence after the broadcast media regulator found that the media house breached licence conditions.
The Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has disclosed that Zodiak breached some sections of the Communication Act for broadcasting the controversial issue raised by the outspoken legislator Kamlepo Kalua during a Views Triangle program that also featured the then government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati.
In the program, Kalua claimed that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had a hand in the death of Polytechnic Student Robert Chasowa.
Kalua added that the DPP’s political partner United Democratic Front (UDF) also had a hand in the death of local musician Evison Matafale and Chancellor College student Fanikiso Phiri.
But after calling Zodiak to explain its stand on the issue, MACRA has ruled that the issues raised by Kalua were not supposed to be for public consumption arguing that the expression could have caused prejudice of the public order as per section 2 of the code of conduct.
In a statement, MACRA has also accused Zodiak of broadcasting dishonest expressions by the Rumphi East legislator arguing that Kalua’s remarks have not been proven to be true and were made in bad faith.
The authority has also faulted Zodiak for not giving the DPP a chance to respond to Kalua’s remarks.
“Section 5 of the code of conduct requires broadcasters, when presenting a controversial issue of public importance, to make reasonable efforts to present points of view in the same programme or in a subsequent program within a reasonable period of time and the authority has found that Zodiak Broadcasting Station did not afford the DPP an opportunity to respond to the allegations by Hon Kalua within a reasonable time,” reads part of the statement.
Meanwhile, MACRA is expected to make further decisions on the issue.
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Yah’ too much vernacular take ages to comprehend mwee,
Wat else can we listent to new apart from zbs? iwi sell my radio
MACRA is run by brainless fools coz the so called president admitted that he was down to nyamakazi. So ZODIAK ddnt lie after all. Ayelekeze kulanda licence imeneyo they’ll face ME!
Zopusa , media regulator yachina ndani
Who does hear’Zikachitika mumvera kwa ife’ meaning they rush spreading false news without proper investigations.They indeed need to be penalised if they crossed borders.You and I better be calm as we don’t ethics of journalism.But I feel they swallow prior to chewing.
Who does hear’Zikachitika mumvera kwa ife’ meaning they rush spreading false news without proper investigations.They indeed need to be penalised if they crossed borders.You and I better be calm as we don’t ethics of journalism.But I feel they swallow prior to chewing.
When Mr president was american citizen z b s was already broadcastng live stories and we malawians we were listlining so if u hate zbs go to hell and fuck satan
I can feel things happened in 2011 will repeat itself people are geting tired with this government,
Zoonazake a Malawi tiyeni tikalime kumunda kuti tipeze zosowa zathu tikadalira munthu tizikhalira kutukwana mpakana kalekale
Good one!
Fodya ameneyu angomwalira watikwana
Chilungamodi chimawawa.asayerekeze kuseka ZBS
sanje basi zausilu
W.T.F
Akatseka Zodiak akufuna tizimvera chani?ife MBC yanuyo tinasiya kumvera 1997,musaziyambe dala.
Hahaha zodiak ndi dhiru!!!!
Mkhala choncho
NEXT people of Mchinji
Leave ZBS alone,its Him & his DPP gurus who eginited that for failling to tell malawians the trueth, coz if the trueth is hidden, something opposite must enjoy the vaccum kkkkkkk.
ZBS shud survive