PF warns public media

The Patriotic Front (PF) in Lusaka province has charged that public media heads and their substantive boards were allegedly being controlled by an invisible hand that wants to bring confusion in the ruling party.

Provincial chairlady Maggie Mumba said in a statement released to ZANIS today that government leaders were not adequately covered by the public media when they make important statements which are aimed at unifying the nation.

Ms. Mumba said it was sad that government leaders were allegedly ignored by public media houses when they make public appearances.

“We don’t care about what happens in the cheap private tabloids that have shown that they have cheap pocket agendas to prop up one or two individuals of their choice but we care a lot about the public media with its wide circulation have to say about President Sata, his ministers and development in the country,” she said.

She further charged that there were lot things that have gone unanalysed in the public media that President Sata has done in the recent months and among them is the national budget that made serious pronouncements of job creation.

“This has gone unexplained in-depth including issues such as the dismissal of Wynter Kabimba who divided the party. The public media has chosen to ignore this while cheap tabloids continue to attack the President Sata’s programmes and his ministers who are being called tribal and corrupt every day at the expense of infrastructure development,” she lamented.

Ms. Mumbi further stated that other important personalities such as defense minister Edgar Lungu and Lusaka Mayor Mulenga Sata are equally ignored in the public media.

She has warned of stiff measures if what she termed selective reporting continues further.

She said puppet masters of the public media will get bruised because their pocket agendas are not for the benefit of the president and his leadership.

“We cannot competently discuss the tabloids because their pocket agenda is clear and it has crash landed but we can talk about the public media which tax payers funded. Change now and adopt a message of unity and development. Do not emulate the tabloids whose message of hate and contempt is clear to see,” she said.