Government has been challenged to act on suspected Tonse Alliance sympathizers who are threatening journalists in the country.
Lately, the social media has been awash with posts in which some alleged Tonse Alliance supporters are attacking journalists for publishing stories deemed critical of the government.
And in a statement released on January 1 meant to assess media freedom in the year 2020, media watchdog MISA Malawi Chairperson Teresa Ndanga has in strongest terms condemned the attacks.
According to Ndanga, journalists must be left to exercise their rights freely without any interference as recently the country ope-rationalized the Access to Information Act.
Ndanga has since described as an insult the decision by Statehouse Press office to request for questions from journalists ahead of the weekly statehouse press briefings.
“Prior approval by State House of questions for the weekly press briefings is uncalled for. While this may have been done to allow for preparations by those who would respond, we have reports that questions considered ‘critical’ are removed, thus turning the weekly briefings into public relations functions and not a two-way platform of engagement between the media and the presidency” said Ndanga.
In his reaction, Dr Anthony Gunde Communications lecturer at Chancellor College has bemoaned an alleged act by some Tonse administration sympathizers of threatening journalists.
Meanwhile, Gunde, has challenged government to come forward and condemn the reported malpractice.
“This exists everywhere, and there is really need for the administration to come out and say it does not recognize those involved to actually ensure that the media is freely operating” he said.
The latest incidents came when one of the daily papers also published a report in which the donor community reportedly threatened to stop funding the country’s projects.