MACRA Warns Media Houses Over Biased Election Coverage
Published on September 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM by Edgar Naitha
The Elections Broadcasts Monitoring and Complaints Committee (EBMCC) has condemned the practice by some news channels of continuously airing politically biased content and negative commentary by their broadcasters during programmes.
This follows a letter issued on Tuesday and signed by Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General Daud Suleman.
The committee stated that such practices have the potential to undermine the integrity of the upcoming elections.
According to the letter, the EBMCC monitored broadcasts and programmes from June 27 to August 10, 2025, and found that some channels were broadcasting biased content that did not align with electoral reporting standards.
The Council has since warned media houses to refrain from airing content that violates electoral laws or may negatively influence the upcoming elections.
The media outlets named include MBC Radio and Television, Zodiac Television, Mibawa Television, Times Radio and Television, and Luntha Television.
The EBMCC was established by a coalition of key stakeholders: the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), MISA Malawi, the Media Council of Malawi, NICE Trust, the Centre for Multiparty Democracy, and the Malawi Law Society.
