Journalists at State Media Dare PF to Fire Them

Reality show fights
Just three days after World Press Freedom Day, things are not looking too free in Zambia, as a number of journalists from the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail find themselves in a stand-off with the Patriotic Front (PF) government, who had threatened to fire them because of alleged sympathies with the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). The move comes after Local government Minister Elfreda Kansembe stormed the Zambia Daily Mail newsroom two weeks ago and castigated all the journalists and accused them of being MMD supporters.
Durig Kansembe’s unceremonial visit to the Zambia Daily Mail, some senior journalists openly wept at her abusiveness because they found it so offensive to be insulted for the job they have done for many years.
The journalists interviewed said they felt insulted and degraded by Kansembe, who they described as a backward woman and an enemy of press freedom.
But in retaliation, the scribes have dared Kamsembe to fire all the journalists purported to be sympathysers of the MMD.
One of the journalists said the PF had been on power for almost two years and it was shocking why Kansembe was still looking for MMD cadres in newsrooms. The journalist said the freedom of the press, better conditions of work and emuloments, which were promised to the public media by the PF has remained a pipedream because it was only the top brass who enjoyed the luxuries.
Some of the journalist said Kansembe threatened to fire the scribes and reminded them that they would be retired like six senior journalists who were sent into the streets from the Times of Zambia last year.
The journalist said it was Anthony Mukwita, the PF deputy managing director, who needed to fired because he had hijacked professionalism from the Zambia Daily Mail.
“Two weeks ago, Kansembe stormed our offices very early on Sunday and started shouting at us like she was not a minister. She accused us of being MMD cadres, but we are professionals, apart from Anthony Mukwita, who is trying so hard to save his job. Anthony is so excited and has continued to embarrass the newspaper from the time he came with false stories and misleading headlines. He writes biased editorials and has a clique of reporters he uses to get defamatory stories. He has accumulated many lawsuits during the short time he has been here. It is only a gullible person who can come to the newsroom and make noise when the source of the problem is apparent,” the journalists said.
During the interview, the journalists asked for anonymity for fear of harassment, but they would reveal their identities at an appropriate time.
“We are ready to be fired. We are not afraid anymore because this is not good for both the newspaper and the media at large. We have been pushed enough and it is better to be out of this job than to be pushed around as though we do not have skills. Anyone from the PF is free to come and insult us like that as though we are not professionals. We went t school and got a profession, unlike most of the PF members who are harassing us,” the journalist said.
Another journalist said many of the workers in the Zambia Daily Mail were intimidated and they also felt did not agree with the current editorial policy of the newspaper.
“What we have is something like a mouthpiece of the PF because what readers get as coverage of the opposition are actually twisted facts, which are meant to look like the Zambia Daily Mail has changed. Everyone at the newspaper is aware and people are just quite because they fear for the jobs, while others have opted to sing the PF anthem,” the journalist.
The journalists said the Zambia Daily had enough financial reserves in the banks, but these resources had been depleted and management was now failing to pay workers on time.
“This newspaper is failing to pay us on time. We actually don’t know when we shall receive our 2013 March salaries because pay day is now indefinite. This is what we expect the minister to address instead of bringing political rhetoric to our newsroom. Zambia Daily Mail reporters often as for gifts from sources as a result, but this is not professional. We are n trouble,” the journalists said.
When contacted, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Kennedy Sakeni said he was not aware of Kansembe’s visit to the Zambia Daily Mail.
But sources at the Ministry of Information said some PF sypathysers at the Zambia Daily Mail were back biting fellow employees.
Source;Zambia Reports