Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Executive Director Neo Simutanyi has observed that the 2015 presidential election has provided an opportunity for the Zambian media to be more vibrant than ever before.
Dr. Simutanyi says the vibrancy the media has shown during this election is the first to be witnessed since the country became independent in 1964.
He says much as there have been some cases of irresponsible reporting by some media houses, his organization has taken note of the unrestrained reporting which some media houses have sustained by covering different aspects of what has been happening in the run up to this month’s election.
Dr Simutanyi has told Qfm News by telephone that this kind of freedom the media has exhibited where all presidential candidates have been given coverage should be maintained even after the January 20th presidential election.
He says this is what Democracy entails when media houses, despite backing their own preferred candidates in a particular election, still give equal coverage to other candidates participating in the same election.
Dr. Simutanyi who is also a political analyst has however stressed the need for the media to be accorded chance to operate more freely than it is currently operating.
He cites the public media as one section of the media that is not as free as it should be.
Dr. Simutanyi has since suggested that the public media institutions should be allowed to be guided only by their own editorial policies without any interference from government.