Chakwera To Protect Journalist According To Constitution

President Chakwera through his government is committed to ensure that journalists in the country are protected as required by the constitution of Malawi in the digital age where more people access information through social media.

The President made the remarks on Tuesday at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe during breakfast hosted to journalist and media practitioners.

The president regards Section 36 as the identical twin of Section 35 which gives every person the right to freedom of expression.

“I am, of course, referring to Section 36, which says that the press shall have the right to report and publish freely, within Malawi and abroad, and to be accorded the fullest possible facilities for access to public information,” said Chakwera

The President has asked all journalists in the country to take charge of their work and never to be corrupted and left their work to be attacked.

Gospel Kazako, Minister of Information and Digitalisation commended the President for operationalization of the Access to Information (ATI) Act despite the present challenges saying there is hope.

“I would like to ask my fellow journalists in the country to exercise media freedom with diligence and also I thank the President for operationalization of the ATI Act despite the challenges that we have in the country”, Kazako said

According to Teresa Ndanga, MISA Malawi Chairperson said there are some grey areas that the government needs to improve for example the censorship which is posing an infringement of press freedom and defeats the whole purpose of having ATI in place.

“We thank the government for being media friendly and at the same time the operationalization of the ATI, State House briefing and  the Government facing the press as good platform for journalist to probe more for what is happening in the country, but the government needs to improve on the censorship which is an infringement of press freedom”, Ndanga said

World Press Freedom Day falls on 3^rd May each year and this year’s commemorations will be held on Saturday in Nkhata-bay.