THE Media Owners Association of Zambia (MOAZ) and other media organisations have strongly opposed the proposed Zambia Institute of Journalism Bill, which seeks to provide for the registration of journalists and regulate their practice and professional conduct. The media organisations have urged government to put aside the Bill, which they say is meant to curtail media freedom, adding that as stakeholders in the media industry, they have not been aware of any process to draft the Bill in question. However, Chief Government Spokesperson and Information and Media Minister Cornelius Mweetwa says the Bill in question was not initiated by the government but by private journalists. He says the Bill is a layman’s draft and has been referred to the Legislative...
