By ALICE NACHILEMBE
The Zambia Institute of Independent Media Alliance (ZIIMA) says it will not support or defend any media house that promotes tribalism, hate speech, and sentiments that have the capacity to plunge the country into chaos.
ZIIMA President Jajah Coulibaly said in as much as ZIIMA speaks for the media, it will no support Media houses giving a platform to divisive elements making statements that threaten the peace of the country.
Mr Coulibaly has appealed to gatekeepers in these newsrooms to look at the bigger picture of why they exist and not narrowing their view to own ambitions.
He said Media houses must desist from being used as vessels to divide this nation.
Mr Coulibaly said ZIIMA will support media houses that refuses to provide coverage to politicians or persons whose desire is to defile the constitution.
“This country was led on a foundation of unity under the One, Zambia One Nation motto by our founding heroes and heroines. And our Constitution clearly states that we are a sovereign unitary State, not a regionalised one. This is how we have existed since 1964,” he said.
He said a responsible media institution should be able to rebuke sources who openly promote hate speech against certain ethnic groupings in the nation.
ZIIMA was attributing to Raphael Nakacinda of the Patriotic Front (PF) who a few days ago issued statements that exhibited hate towards a particular tribe in Zambia, a statement the entire political party has failed to disown or condemn and was in the mainstream media.
