Minister of Information, Civic education and Communications Technology Mark Botomani says the government regards media houses as partners and not enemies.
Botomani made the remarks on Friday night during discussions on media development and freedom with media managers in Blantyre.
In his remarks, Botomani said the government believes in a free press and that the media should be able to freely operate in the country.
“In fact, we don’t like to hear situations where a broadcaster has been summoned by the regulator over something that was aired. It is not in the interest of government to stop any broadcaster from operating. And government regards media as partners not enemies,” said Botomani.
He then urged the media houses especially radio and television stations to always adhere to broadcasting ethics and regulations all the time they exercised their duties.
“You should not wait for MACRA to police you, but you must endeavor to regulate yourself. You know there is Communications Act, Broadcasting Regulations and Ethics, and Code of Conduct which you need to follow. As broadcasters you also need to have an Editorial policy which you should follow,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has pledged to continue offering training opportunities to journalists where possible both in and outside the country in order to guarantee professionalism.
