The public broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has suspended for of its news room staff after condemnation on the use of swearwords by public broadcaster MBCtv on Monday evening.
The TV station used swearwords in its 7pm Chichewa Bulletin of Monday, May 11, 2020. In the report that was narrated by journalist Henry Haukeya, the station used a screenshot of Facebook comments with swearwords targeted at Vice President Saulos Chilima.
MBC management has since suspended Haukeya, Mercy Zamawa (news producers, Kondwani Chinele (news producer) and a video editor as gate keepers, failed to detect the vulgar language.
The taxfunded MBC has apologized for the broadcast saying it was an oversight on the part of the editorial team.
But Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi Chapter chairperson Teresa Ndanga said though MBC management has apologized, iti finds the broadcast not only shameful but a serious attack on journalism and Malawi’s moral standards.
MISA Malawi has therefore urged individual journalists at MBC to rise above partisan journalism and embrace a culture of professionalism and integrity to safeguard their own career, media freedom and independence.
The institute has also asked Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) to discipline MBC and ensure the station is professional and operates according to the provisions of the Communications Act.
It further says Parliament should also take concrete steps that would guarantee non-partisan programming at MBC at all times.
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