By CHATULA KAMPO and MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
THE Parliamentary Committee on Information and Broadcasting has called on journalists in the country to uphold media ethics.
Chairperson Kabinga Pande said there was need for media practitioners to operate in line with the provisions of the media ethics in Zambia.
Mr Pande, who is Kasempa MMD Member of Parliament, also called on media practitioners to understand the environment in which they operate.
“We should not just publish stories and pictures anyhow; we need to understand the environment of the area we are operating from.
“We should always ask ourselves if what we are about to put in the newspaper or on television is of interest to the public or not,” he said.
Mr Pande said this in an interview after the committee toured the Times Printpak head office in Ndola yesterday.
He and his committee are in the province gathering information on media ethics and challenges media practitioners face in their operations in complying with provisions of the country’s media ethics.
Other members comprising the parliamentary committee include Chipili MP Davies Mwila, Luanshya MP Stephen Chungu, Effron Lungu for Chama South, Michael Katambo for Masaiti, Christopher Kalila for Lukulu East, and Pemba Parliamentarian, Mutinta Mazoka.
Times Printpak Managing Director Godfrey Malama said the company was on course in ensuring that professionalism was upheld.
Earlier, Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge called for the protection and enhancement of media ethics in the country.
Mr Musenge said he had observed that some media practitioners had taken Government for granted on media ethics and laws.
He said this when the committee paid a courtesy call on him at his office yesterday.
Radio Icengelo programmes manager Euphrasia Lewilla said the private station was happy with the lack of interference by Government in its operations.
Ms Lewilla said the Catholic-owned radio station’s operations were running smoothly and without any interference from Government.
She said this yesterday when the committee toured Radio Icengelo station in Kitwe’s Riverside residential area.
Mr Pande said it was the desire of the committee to see the media adhere to ethics.