By STANSLOUS NGOSA in Nairobi, KENYA –
GOVERNMENT has urged the media to focus on issue-based reporting if they are to attract international awards like the annual CNN African Media Awards.

. Tembo

Information and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Forrie Tembo said scandalising personalities or defaming individuals would not earn the local journalists international recognition.
Mr Tembo told journalists during the welcome dinner ahead of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 that there was need for individual journalists to invest their resources into issue based reporting.
“You don’t expect to get nominated and eventually win an award with a defamatory story but issue based and investigative stories that help to shape society in the right direction,” Mr Tembo said.
About 40 journalists from Zambia entered the awards but none was nominated. There are 31 finalists from 15 countries who are expected to walk away with an award.
Mr Tembo, also cited the lack of exposure as one of the factors that led to non nomination of local journalists to the annual prestigious award.
He said it was against this background that Government decided to carry some local journalists so that they could learn from their counterparts and make a difference in future.
Mr Tembo said Government would continue working with partners like MultiChoice to help local journalists acquire and sharpen their skills for them to compete on the international level favourably.
Mr Tembo, who is accompanied by information permanent Secretary Godfrey Malama, and director media development Isaac Chipampe, are here to witness the event which marks the 20th anniversary of the African media awards.
Others that have accompanied the deputy minister include Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and MultiChoice Zambia Board Chairperson John Mulwila, ZNBC director general Richard Mwanza and MultiChoice Zambia Acting general manager Ngoza Matakala.
MultiChoice chief executive Africa Tim Jacobs said; “We continue to be amazed by the resourcefulness and growth of journalists in the complexity and immediacy of the digital and online age of news and information.
“That is why we remain committed to nurturing and growing African journalists who have a huge responsibility and role to play and where tech-savvy readers have the ability to follow breaking stories and are not shy to engage in dialogue on a number of different platforms,”
Mr Jacobs said the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Awards have for the past 20 years provided a voice for credible journalism.
“As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, we can only commend the journalists for leaving no stone unturned in telling the important stories,” he said.
MultiChoice Kenya chairperson and Kenya broadcasting Corporation managing director Waithaka Waihenya said the company was passionate about investing in the development of the media in African.