By Scoop Reporter
FIT-AGAIN Minister of Information, Dora Siliya has ordered the News Diggers to apologise for referring to the youths who supported the Patriotic Front (PF) in 2016 and danced to its dununa reverse song as being “stupid” or risk being attacked.
Referring to the News Diggers’ editorial comment for the Friday, June 12, 2020 edition, Ms. Siliya notes that while Government has no problem with an opinion that disagreed strongly with it, it had problems with the use of the word “stupid” against the youth of Zambia.
“This reference has been made by Diggers editors purely because of the youths having exercised their right to support a political party of their choice.
“If the Diggers wishes to claim the right of freedom of expression and freedom of the press, those freedoms, must also respect the freedoms of the youth of Zambia and their choice to dance dununa in the past, now, and indeed even in the future, without fear of being referred to as “stupid”,” Ms. Siliya said.
She says it is her considered view that the Diggers editors will see sense in apologizing to the youths of Zambia adding that Government has a responsibility to advise media houses not to forget the political and cultural environment they operate in as it is not a vacuum but “very real”.
“This derogatory remark expose(s) the Diggers to possibly all manner of retaliation which might incite the youths of Zambia to attack the media house if there is no recourse.
“Media houses are not advocacy institutions, but are there to give editorials of and on facts on behalf of the people of Zambia. Editorials that begin with derogatory words just take away from professionalism, our culture, our Christian values and most of all, our very democracy we wish to preserve,” she said.
