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Statutory media regulation opposed
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SELF-REGULATION is the only route the media in Swaziland should pursue not a statutory or state-imposed, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland has reiterated.
MISA Swaziland yesterday said they were surprised by Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini’s statement during last Thursday’s editors forum meeting that a statutory regulation was underway.
“We cannot contradict ourselves in this regard and reiterate that we only stand for and support self-regulation not the statutory one proposed by government. We have come a long way with the issue of self-regulation as per our submission to the House of Assembly Select Committee back in 1997; therefore, we cannot contradict ourselves this time around.
“We’re totally against government’s pronouncement on the issue of Media Complaints Commission (MCC),” MISA Swaziland National Director Comfort Mabuza said.
He said somebody may have chosen to deliberately mislead the PM or twist the statement he made at a recent workshop for parliamentarians at Royal Swazi Spa’s banqueting arena on the issue of regulating the media.
From the very beginning, the organisation noted, they had been part and parcel of the gospel of self-regulation.
“We’ve been pushing for the commencement of a self-regulation mechanism and an MCC that is driven by stakeholders as opposed to a statutory body. The only remaining aspect is for media owners to subscribe and recognise this endeavour (MCC) so that it becomes a self-sustaining entity”.
Mabuza was speaking at MISA Swaziland offices during a press briefing the organisation had convened.
He said if the state was to move ahead with statutory regulation, they would challenge it because even countries such as United Kingdom, South Africa, etc. embraced self-regulation whereby the media itself set up a body to discipline professionals who had strayed using own set standards.
MISA Swaziland Information Officer Michael Motsa said they had always opposed promulgation of the Media Bill and held the same view even now.
He said they were against the proposed Media Complaints Commission Bill, which is amongst six bills to be presented before parliament by Minister of Information Communications and Technology Nelisiwe Shongwe.
“It is true that the process of setting up the MCC through support of media owners and stakeholders has delayed a bit but it is underway,” Motsa said.
MISA Swaziland yesterday said they were surprised by Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini’s statement during last Thursday’s editors forum meeting that a statutory regulation was underway.
“We cannot contradict ourselves in this regard and reiterate that we only stand for and support self-regulation not the statutory one proposed by government. We have come a long way with the issue of self-regulation as per our submission to the House of Assembly Select Committee back in 1997; therefore, we cannot contradict ourselves this time around.
“We’re totally against government’s pronouncement on the issue of Media Complaints Commission (MCC),” MISA Swaziland National Director Comfort Mabuza said.
He said somebody may have chosen to deliberately mislead the PM or twist the statement he made at a recent workshop for parliamentarians at Royal Swazi Spa’s banqueting arena on the issue of regulating the media.
From the very beginning, the organisation noted, they had been part and parcel of the gospel of self-regulation.
“We’ve been pushing for the commencement of a self-regulation mechanism and an MCC that is driven by stakeholders as opposed to a statutory body. The only remaining aspect is for media owners to subscribe and recognise this endeavour (MCC) so that it becomes a self-sustaining entity”.
Mabuza was speaking at MISA Swaziland offices during a press briefing the organisation had convened.
He said if the state was to move ahead with statutory regulation, they would challenge it because even countries such as United Kingdom, South Africa, etc. embraced self-regulation whereby the media itself set up a body to discipline professionals who had strayed using own set standards.
MISA Swaziland Information Officer Michael Motsa said they had always opposed promulgation of the Media Bill and held the same view even now.
He said they were against the proposed Media Complaints Commission Bill, which is amongst six bills to be presented before parliament by Minister of Information Communications and Technology Nelisiwe Shongwe.
“It is true that the process of setting up the MCC through support of media owners and stakeholders has delayed a bit but it is underway,” Motsa said.
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