The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has come under scrutiny from two media watchdogs, MISA Malawi and the Media Council of Malawi (MCM), which have urged the state-run broadcaster to abandon political bias and uphold strict neutrality ahead of the upcoming elections.
According to a joint press statement, the two bodies on Thursday, July 3, 2025, met MBC’s leadership over long-standing concerns that the state broadcaster has diverted from serving the broader public as mandated under the Communications Act of 2016.
“MISA Malawi and MCM implored the public broadcaster to ensure balance and fairness in its news and programming,” read the statement signed by Golden Matonga and Dr. Jolly Ntaba, MISA Malawi and MCM chairpersons, respectively. “Under the Communications Act of 2016, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has a crucial obligation to inform the public on electoral matters in a fair, equitable and transparent manner.”
The media organisations demanded that MBC immediately reform its editorial policies and programming, warning that continued partisanship risks eroding public trust and undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
“The two media bodies urged MBC to ensure a level playing field in its coverage of political content and strive to attain public trust and confidence in its commitment to impartiality,” advised the two media bodies.
In a pointed recommendation, the two organisations told MBC to bar its Director General, George Kasakula, from taking part in commentary or opinion-based programming, saying his presence compromises the institution’s impartiality.
On its part, MBC leadership expressed its commitment to fair coverage of the elections. Among others, the leadership announced intentions to launch new programming that seeks to provide an opportunity to all political parties to articulate their various political agendas.
In what appears to be a symptom of the broadcaster’s loss of public trust, the MBC leadership also expressed concern that some news sources tend to sideline MBC when seeking diverse perspectives.
Meanwhile, MISA Malawi and MCM have vowed to intensify their oversight and continue to engage all media houses across the country to ensure they uphold professionalism throughout the electoral period.
