By Ireen Kayira, MANA
Minister of Information, Civic Education Communication Technology, Mark Botomani has urged private media house owners to promote the welfare of its employees.
The minister said this on Monday when he visited Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) offices in Lilongwe where he requested the private media houses to pay good salary for their employees with an aim to promote their welfare.
Minister of Information Mark Botomani
“If reporters are not paid well and in good time you make them susceptible to corruption and manipulation from news sources,” he said.
He added that this in turn erodes the credibility of media houses through biased reporting.
To ensure professionalism from media house, the minister said government will provide scholarships for the media outside in countries such as Egypt and India among others.
Kazako
He added that it is important that journalists are trained every now and again to adjust to the way things are changing every day.
Botomani also advised the media to avoid serving the interests of politicians but rather strive for balance and fairness in their stories.
He, therefore, said government would continue to provide a condusive environment for media practitioners.
In a separate interview, Managing Director for ZBS, Gospel Kazako said it is necessary for the government to create a condusive environment where media can operate and be productive.
“When media is operating well in a country, it is easy to develop as it is a catalyst for development,” he said.
He added that sometimes the media in the country is over regulated, which renders it ineffective.