HIGHLIGHTS: Today, the Minister of Information and Media and Chief Government Spokesperson Hon. Cornelius Mweetwa MP held a press briefing to discuss issues relating to media self regulation.
Highlights:
✅ Government through the Ministry of Information and Media has not initiated any bill called the Zambia Institute of Journalists bill or generated any cab memo to indicate an intention to initiate such a bill.
✅ Instead, the bill was initiated by private journalists who are seeking a modification of the Zambia Media Council bill which was withdrawn by Government because of the inconsistencies
✅ Recently, the Ministry of Information and Media assured the Media Owners Association of Zambia that it shall not take any step whatsoever to begin an initiation of a process leading to media statutory regulation whatsoever. Unless and until, if need be, there was consensus between media stakeholder players and one which must be agreeable upon themselves and with the Ministry as facilitator and not initiator.
✅ In this regard, the Ministry of Information and Media is taken aback to find that media bodies have ascribed to under sign to a statement that is calling on Government not to go ahead with a purported Zambia Institute of Journalism bill.
✅ The Ministry has got nothing to do whatsoever with the Zambia Institute of Journalists bill in terms of its conceptualization, initiation and intended objective of creating a professional body to be regulated like any other professional body.
✅ Government remains committed to ensuring that whatever laws or bill it is going to promote, all relevant stakeholders will be engaged beforehand.
CYBERSECURITY LAWS
✅ Government is aware that some stakeholders have received the cyber security law with mixed feelings asserting that the cyber security law is intended to begin to breach the privacy of citizens.
✅ To the contrary, the law is meant to protect citizen as there has been a lot of abuse of the cyber space relating to cyber bullying and scamming.
✅ Government through the Ministries of Information and Media and Justice will soon start sensitizing the public on the importance of the recently passed Cyber Security law.
Govt has not initiated any bill called the Zambia Institute of Journalists bill or generated any cab memo to indicate an intention to initiate
