BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi has condemned the use of vulgar language by Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) against the State Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima.
The state-owned broadcaster used swearwords in its evening Chichewa bulletin on Monday, May 11, 2020. In the report that was narrated by Henry Haukey, the station used a screenshot of facebook comments with swearwords targeted at the Chilima.
The conduct by MBC has attracted public wrath with MISA Malawi describing it as immoral and an attack on professional journalism.
“MISA Malawi however finds the broadcast not only shameful a serious attack on journalism and Malawi’s moral standards. It is against Malawian culture and the principles and values of professional journalism.
“The communications Act of 2016 is clear on MBC’s public service obligations. It is appalling that the public broadcaster in such a manner,” reads a statement in part, signed by MISA Malawi chairperson Teresa Temweka Nganga.
The institute has further urged the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) to discipline MBC and ensure the station is professional and operates according to the provisions of the Communication Act.
MBC management has since apologized for the broadcast saying it was an oversight on the part of the editorial team.
In the apology, however, there is no mention of Chilima who is the aggrieved party, a thing has not also gone well with other social commentators.
In a facebook post, legal commentator Negracius Justin, who is also the communications officer of Citizens for Transforamation (CFT), has described the apology as “superficial.”
“That apology is superficial. It is premised on lies that it was not intentional. It is not truthful. We all know it was in news bulletin. They took efforts to harvest those screenshots from social media and generate news narrative that was strictly fitting with the screenshots content. This could not be accidental beaming. Lying that it was, is unforgiveable further insult.
“The sub-apology itself is totally undermining. It makes no mention of the victim offended by that stupid conduct. And on the heels of that apology we have the supposed enlightened cadets like Foster F. Fundi shouting and foaming around why the public is not tolerating that sub-apology. According to him, at the issuance of that unknown apology, everybody should shut up. This is so demeaning. Undue entitlement, loss of sense (derangement) and crenitism of the highest order!” wrote Justin.
Meanwhile, MACRA has not commented on the matter but reports reaching Maravi Post indicate that the entire management of the body was in a closed door meeting in the morning today at the Capital Hill discussing the issue.
