Chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Media Susan Dossi has expressed concern that many government institutions are not complying with provisions of the Access to Information Act.
She said this in Lilongwe Thursday when the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) launched an ATI handbook for media practitioners in Malawi.
The handbook provides direction on how media practitioners can pursue information for investigative journalism and development reporting.
“We are currently meeting stakeholders to find out how they are complying with [provisions of the] ATI Act. We want to make sure every government department and private sector [player] is aware of this law and advise them to go to the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), as the overseer of this Act, to be oriented as well as develop manuals. If they don’t comply, we take them to task,” Dossi said.
Meanwhile, Public Affairs Officer for the United States (US) Embassy Namita Biggins has said the ATI law remains an important milestone, not only for the media but for all the people of Malawi.
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“Access to information plays a pivotal role in nurturing democratic principles, as it actively fosters transparency and accountability, two fundamental pillars of sound governance,” she said.
On her part, MHRC Executive Secretary Habiba Osman said the book is a milestone not only for the media but for all Malawians.
“We are in times when there is misinformation and disinformation. As such, to have a handbook like this will simplify the work of information holders and the end users,” Osman said.
She hailed MCM for launching the handbook which, she said, will help in terms of investigations, accessing information and reporting.
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On his part, MCM Board Chairperson Wisdom Chimgwede expressed concern that most media practitioners are not adhering to ATI provisions.
“We want this book to reach out to more than 2,000 practising journalists in Malawi, as it is very critical that journalists be well informed before they can begin to inform citizens,” Chimgwede said
The handbook has been developed with technical and financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy, the US Embassy in Malawi, Oxfam Malawi and MHRC.
