By CATHERINE NYIRENDA –

MEDIA bodies have called for professional and responsible reporting among media practitioners in the country.
The media bodies have however, noted that the unprofessional conduct by some media practitioners should not deter Government from enacting the Access To Information (ATI) Bill.
The media associations and unions who include, Media Liaison Committee (MLC), Media Institute in Southern Africa (MISA) and Zambian Union of Journalists (ZUJ) said this in separate interviews yesterday.
This follows President Edgar Lungu’s statement in which he expressed reluctance to enact the ATI owing to the alleged unprofessionalism by media practitioners.
MLC spokesperson Patson Phiri said media practitioners should be very professional in their packaging of news and the methods of gathering the information.
“Unprofessional conduct breeds mistrust in the readers and listeners and affects the credibility of our media houses,” Mr Phiri said.
Mr Phiri who is also secretary general for the Southern Africa Editors Forum Zambia Chapter, however, noted that the unprofessional conduct of the media practitioner should not deter the ATI Bill enactment as it was not only meant for media practitioners but the country at large.
“ATI is for the people of Zambia to use to settle anxieties for missing information necessary for their economic, social and related desires, it must be noted that journalists will not find ATI any useful because of the long processes involved in accessing such information,” he said.
He appealed to President Lungu to rescind his impression about the ATI Bill by looking at examples of the existing ATI Acts where they have been in existence.
ZUJ secretary general Angela Chishimba said the union was concerned that there were too many leakages from Government institutions and wondered whether there was collusion between some Government officers and journalists.
“ZUJ, therefore, advises journalists to desist from colluding with Government officials to leak documents because they risk being arrested and exposing the country to security threats,” she said.
Ms Chishimba was however, concerned that the ATI might not be tabled before Parliament because Government feels some media institutions were not responsible in the manner they reported on issues.
“As ZUJ we feel the cure for leakages would in fact be the passing of the ATI which would allow free flow of information, barring that which borders on national security,” Ms Chishimba said.
MISA President Hellen Mwale said that the ATI was not only a law for journalists but for the citizens of the country.
She said if the ATI Bill was enacted into law it had some provisions on how to deal with State secrets a move which should prompt President Lungu to push for the quick enactment.
“MISA Zambia therefore reiterates its call for Government to immediately give a clear roadmap and timeframe for the enactment of the ATI bill as promised three years ago in its campaign manifesto on which it was elected into power,” she said.