File: HH on the middle of his two Vice presidents, GBM and Dr. Banda arriving at the press conference
Hakainde Hichilema says the PF government is abusing the media by promoting hate language which is dividing the country.
And Hichilema commonly referred to as HH has wished the Journalists well as they commemorate World Press Freedom Day.
Below is the statement:
On the occasion of World Press Freedom day we join hands with those working in the industry and express our gratitude to those journalists who work hard daily to promote transparency and provide us with informative and enlightening coverage of important events.
Journalists are the eyes and ears of society. As such they have a great responsibility and the capacity to build or break the nation.
Our call and prayers today are for extensive reform in the sector, especially concerning public media, to enable our journalists to report with freedom and integrity and better do their job.
The public media, which is funded by taxpayers money, has sadly been turned into a tool of oppression and is now routinely used for repetition of hate speech and derogatory language that seeks to divide rather than unite the nation.
One of the agreements at the recently held political parties Indaba organised by the church was an undertaking that the public media should provide fair access to all stakeholders, but sadly they have continued to be abused by those in government.
The only time access is provided to the opposition is when we are being demeaned or portrayed as unpatriotic. They have also continued allowing others to attack us without giving us the chance to give our side of the story as per journalistic requirements.
This year being an election year, the role the media will play before, during, and after elections will be under the spotlight and will play an important role in determining the destiny of our great nation.
We are also aware of the many abuses against journalists in the country as they continue to face harassment, torture and physical abuse all in the course of doing their job. On our part we wish to call on our members across the country to continue exercising maximum restraint and civility in dealing with these professionals, even those from institutions whose positions we may not agree with.
Once more we join hands with the media fraternity in the country and wish them well on this important day in their calendar.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President