Southern African editors join freedom crusade

119
New Media, Old Media

AS SOUTHERN African countries continue with reforms aimed at strengthening democracy the role of the media has become more important than ever before.
In Zambia the government and the media have since 2012 been working together to make the environment more favourable for journalists to do that which they know best – informing, educating, entertaining and, unfortunately, shaming the public.
There media is enjoying more operating space than ever before. The Patriotic Front (PF) government has scored some admirable goals on this particular pitch.
However, Zambia is still stuck with such oppressive laws as the Defamation Act and some sections of the Penal Code on its statute books, which the PF inherited from its predecessor, the MMD.
They need to be addressed as well.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is increasingly demanding good governance – the rule of law, protection of human rights, credible, free and fair elections and accountability – among its member states.
The regional bloc played the leading role in ensuring the recent harmonised elections in Zimbabwe met some basic international parameters of a credible poll.
But there are still many black sheep within SADC, which are reluctant to move with the rest of the region.
This is putting more pressure on the media to strengthen its motoring role and hold governments more accountable to the people.
But for the media to perform this mandate effectively it must operate in a favourable political, economic and legal environment. There are still numerous laws that are a constant threat to the freedom of the media on the statute books of many a SADC member state.
Without pressure and constant engagement few of these governments have the will to repeal or amend these draconian laws on their own. This was the clarion call of the Southern African Editor’s Forum (SAEF)’s regional council meeting held at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, on August 30, 2013.
SAEF, whose regional office is in Windhoek, Namibia, is the umbrella body of national editors’ forums in 10 SADC countries including Zambia.
The organisation has vowed to fight “tooth and nail” to lobby governments to remove from their statute books laws that are inimical to media freedom.
“The SAEF leadership will work with national editors’ organisations in the 10 member countries for the implementation of, among others, the Table Mountain Declaration,” the forum said in a press release shortly after the council meeting.
The Table Mountain Declaration, amongst other things, calls on governments to:
Recognise the indivisibility of media freedom and the states’ responsibility to respect their commitments to African and international protocols upholding the freedom, independence and safety of the media.
To abolish, as a matter of urgency, insult and criminal defamation laws which have led to the harassment, arrest and imprisonment of editors and journalists in many countries
To remove all other laws inimical to media freedom
Free journalists jailed for their professional activities.
There will surely be no honeymoon for the new executive committee of Jovial Rantao, editor of the Sunday Tribune in South Africa, who was elected SAEF chairperson to be deputised by Mpho Dibeela, managing editor of The Guardian Sun in Botswana.
Willie Mponda, editor of The Sun in Zimbabwe, is the new secretary general while Tangeni Amupadhi, editor of The Namibian, was co-opted into the management committee.
The SAEF management council appointed Elizabeth M’ule, who has been running SAEF’s regional secretariat in Namibia, as the executive director of the organisation.
The Zambia National Editors Forum (ZANEF) will play its part by participating in the ongoing engagement between the media and the government to add impetus to the reforms.
It is clear that southern African editors are poised to contribute to the promotion of media freedom in their respective countries as well as the region.
The author is general secretary of the Zambia National Editors Forum (ZANEF).

119 COMMENTS

  1. Function – Pergolas and arbours can provide a structure
    to grow trailing plants or vines. ‘Vine Videos’, which
    is a mobile app owned by Twitter, uses mini-videos that
    are no longer than 6 seconds as a marketing tool. These days, crop growing is an incredibly
    accepted activity and profession that is emerging.

  2. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your
    efforts and I am waiting for your next write ups thank
    you once again.

  3. You’re so interesting! I do not suppose I’ve truly read
    something like this before. So wonderful to discover another person with genuine thoughts on this subject
    matter. Really.. thanks for starting this up.
    This site is something that’s needed on the
    internet, someone with a bit of originality!

  4. alexis breeze A huge database 10000s of adult vids, of free porn pipes sorted by category.
    Here is the only porn source you will ever need alexis breeze

  5. Follow these simple guidelines and your bong should last
    you a long time. It is estimated that 87% of deaths occur due to lung cancer caused by smoking.
    “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come,.

  6. amputee sex Watch hot girls get fooled to fuck our pals for hard cash!
    Is actually a massive deposit of cum on the asses,
    although these females feel they’re getting paid! Allin high-definition! amputee sex

  7. african porn Sell Your Sextape – Pawn Your Sextape and make upto $5000
    or perhaps view our amateur sex african porn

  8. Del ricorso se si pensa che tutte le sofferenze, il test richiede la consulenza di un medico.

  9. A strap-on dildo can be utilized for a multitude of sexual activities, including solo or mutual masturbation,
    along with penetrative oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Upon buying these vibrators, people could get frre
    batteries along with tthe delivery is discreet. As for design, there are many
    realistic dildos available, which range in many different colors and styles.

  10. The girls that work with us are heavily screened for magnificence,
    style, class and schooling so that we will provide to you someone you could really join with
    and have a memorable time with.

  11. Hi there mates, good paragraph and pleasant urging commented here, I am in fact enjoying by
    these.

  12. Once i gain referrals, I also deliver them gorgeous sterling silver jewelry
    to express my thanks. A motorcycle battery charger or electric battery trickle phone chrgr can be purchased for below $40.
    After it, the eye rate 4000 per cent starts to see most perfect.

  13. I have fun with, result in I discovered exactly
    what I used to be looking for. You’ve ended my four
    day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day.
    Bye

  14. great issues altogether, you simply gained a emblem
    new reader. What would you suggest about your put up that
    you made a few days ago? Any positive?

  15. There are still a lot of valid techniques you can use for link building.

    The various process of the tracking cycle involves:.
    Hence you must opt for SEO which is an efficient service, which helps your site accomplish top ranking at different search engines
    such as Google and Yahoo.

  16. The Vi – Salus is not in the run ofpublicity like the other health products that excites the people and ready togo, but that die away in few weeks because they are physically very difficult tokeep up.
    Peter Ragnar’s ‘How To Build Muscle On A Raw Food Diet’.
    Right after reading this Vi – Salus evaluation you are most likely thinking that Vi – Salus is an excellent opportunity as well as are ready to
    get started.

  17. 4)Kitna must stay the most effective qb within NFC Main. They make
    a lot of money from players like us that bet emotionally instead of with our senses.
    You do not have to be glued to a television screen to know how your favorite team is
    faring.

  18. You will be amazed at how smart your child becomes by constantly
    playing with the best toddler toys on it. In an effort to
    save space, you may also learn bunk beds with constructed-in workstations and desks.
    If your partner already has the same type of herpes you do,
    then you can have sex just as you did before you had herpes.

  19. Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board and
    I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot.

    I hope to give something back and aid others like you aided me.

  20. The collections infuse the spirited vision of Joe Fresh into kids and babgy designs full of charm and personality.
    We have found hat children will become enamored with their Kidss
    Lockers. Waverly curtains offer a variety of designs, styles and colors for usee in any window treatment in your home.

  21. Hi friends, nice paragraph and nice arguments commented here, I am genuinely enjoying by these.

  22. It’s hard to find educated people oon this topic, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about!

    Thanks

  23. To get the most out of your PS3, the greatest spot to get started is at
    the PlayStation Retailer (PSN).

  24. You can too install it instantly without doing this search if you have
    the android apk for subway surfers recreation.

  25. «Si je m’accorde 20 minutes pour travailler mes jambes,
    je sais que je dois accroître l’intensité du travail, dit-il.

    La limite de temps fait que chaque mouvement compte.
    »8. L’alimentation pèse plus lourd que l’exercice

    De nombreuses vedettes font du test quatre à six jours
    hebdomadairement à raison de 90 par séance, ont des entraîneurs conseillers et suivent
    un régime pauvre en calories rigoureux. Elles ne font pas
    uniquement du Pilates ou du yoga 2 fois hebdomadairement.
    »

  26. If you’re more into the science-fiction style
    of RPG, this Android RPG game is the right one for you.
    Capcom also brought you such titles as Resident Evil, Street Fighter,
    and Mega Man; the offshoot, Capcom Interactive, Inc.
    Select the seeds carefully to make the ultimate farm.

  27. Internet site . loans require no sign-up payment and are free of any other up-front costs, they do not position any additional pressure on the consumer.

  28. The next type of juicer is called a masticating juicer because it extracts juice using a repetitive pressing movements.
    The most recent model of the Power Juicer incorporates soy technology for making high protein drinks and is called the Elite model.
    Most lower- and medium-end juicers on the market use the centrifugal method.

  29. In the evenings, they would dig out a trench that
    he would roll the tank more than, and he and his crew would sleep on the dirt underneath.

  30. Having a professional who is an objective third party
    is a good way to keep any findings civil as well.

    Perleche can be generally known as Angular Cheilitis, Cheilosis, and Stomatitis.
    Immediate help for the one suffering from dry lips
    is needed because even small and simple actions would be painful for
    them.

  31. Some parents welcome alll the tests as an indication that their
    youngsters are truly becoming challenged.

  32. And by no signifies is that something you need to fugure out in higher school or even college.

  33. What’s Going down i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It absolutely useful and
    it has helped me out loads. I am hoping to contribute & assist different users
    like its helped me. Good job.

  34. Finding a person who does not like any kind of music is a task ‘next to impossible’.
    An estimate of those contained in the Milky Way, a typical
    galaxy, is 100 to 300 billion. The main purpose of a trellis is to support the
    vine, but another main reason for having a trellis is to spread the shoots, so it will be exposed to enough sunlight.

  35. With the age of technology and the online Nexx coupons are now available online
    and can be printed on demand to give you the savings you are looking for right
    as you walk out the door for your weekly shopping.
    My discount vouchers can be redeemed against a kitbag, Fat Face, La Senza
    or Halfords for example. We find no reason why someone in there right mind wouldn’t take advantage of this excellent venture.

  36. It’s very effortless to find out aany mattyer
    օn net aas compared tο books, as I foսnd tҺis paragraph
    at tҺis web page.

  37. Exclusively at Target: After Earth Blu-ray Combo Pack includes bonus disc with all-new motion comic After Earth:
    Innocence *NEW*. The other information can be left blank for your bidders to add their bid amount and relevant details.
    Exclusively at Target: Peter Pan Blu-ray + DVD Combo
    Pack Digibook with 32-page storybook *NEW*.

Leave a Reply to agen bola tangkas Cancel reply