US embassy cable - 04LILONGWE820

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000820 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/PDPA, AF/S 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, KDEM, MI, Media 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT: STATE-RUN MEDIA FREEDOM 
INCREASING, POLITICAL INTERFERENCE DECLINING 
 
REF: A. LILONGWE 400 
 
B. LILONGWE 403 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: A new era is dawning for the state 
media in Malawi.  The Malawi Broadcasting 
Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM) 
have increased their coverage of different 
political perspectives after newly-elected 
government officials openly encouraged the two 
media houses to present opposition views. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  Information minister Ken Lipenga, a seasoned 
journalist and former editor-in-chief of two 
independent daily newspapers, visited MBC and 
TVM offices on July 21 and assured journalists 
that no one would lose their job for 
interviewing members of the opposition. 
 
3.  The two media houses immediately acted upon 
Lipenga's instructions. Opposition leaders are 
being allowed to comment critically on 
government policies and other political 
developments. MBC's daily Press Review program 
has for the first time included both pro- and 
anti- government stories.  MBC has now started 
broadcasting a live phone in program allowing 
listeners to participate in political debates. 
 
4.  President Bingu Wa Mutharika and his 
administration are decreasing their use of 
state-run media for United Democratic Front 
(UDF) purposes. His first political rally as 
President, held a month after he took office, 
was by his own directive not broadcast live on 
MBC.  Explaining why the President rejected live 
coverage, Lipenga said the President felt the 
rally did not warrant such coverage because it 
was merely a political party function. 
Mutharika's directive received praise from 
surprised political analysts who described it as 
a marked departure from the 'destructive 
politics' of his predecessor, Bakili Muluzi, who 
was notorious for his monopolization of state 
media resources. 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
5.  Since the UDF came to power in 1994, the two 
public broadcasting services have come under 
fire for favoring the ruling party.  MBC's bias 
was most evident in the run-up to the May 20 
general elections when it completely closed the 
airwaves to the opposition (reftels); 
international election observers unanimously 
cited this bias as a limiting factor in the 
overall fairness of the elections.  Calls by 
civil society groups and other stakeholders for 
the two public broadcasters to level the playing 
field were unsuccessful and yielded little 
politically-balanced coverage. 
 
6.  The Malawi Communications Regulatory 
Authority (MACRA) did very little to encourage 
balanced news at MBC and TVM.  The two state-run 
institutions are not MACRA license holders and 
thus the regulatory body has very little 
authority over their broadcasting and 
operations.  MBC began broadcasting in 1964 as 
the only radio station in the country, and 
Television Malawi was established in 1996. 
MACRA was formed in 1998, and until MACRA's 
existence the two media houses were answerable 
only to the Ministry of Information.  Any media 
organization established after 1999 is required 
to obtain a MACRA license; however, TVM and MBC 
have not been required to do so, thus MACRA's 
authority has been limited.  MACRA has on 
several occasions threatened to withdraw 
broadcasting licenses from the Malawi Institute 
of Journalism Radio, Capital Radio and Radio 
Maria (Owned by Catholic Missionaries) on 
allegations that the three private radio 
stations air unbalanced news. 
 
7.  In principle, the ruling party has claimed 
to be a champion of press freedoms throughout 
its ten years in power.  During the same period 
the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) 
awarded Malawi the dubious honor of being ranked 
second only to Zimbabwe in the Southern African 
sub-region for the most number of reported media 
abuse incidents. Media oppression in this period 
included the closing down of private radio 
stations, arrests of private-media employees, 
political abuse of state media, and violence 
against journalists by the UDF's notorious youth 
wing, the "Young Democrats".  Journalists at MBC 
were fired for allegedly holding pro-opposition 
political views; many of these journalists have 
filed court cases against the GOM. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
8.  Over the past two months, TVM and MBC have 
begun to show increasing signs of the ability to 
work free from political party influence and 
interference.  Opposition views are being aired 
even when directly critical of the President. 
The ruling party now must pay for dedicated 
coverage of party events, and the offer is open 
for other parties to do the same.  This progress 
is a good sign, but the ruling party's tolerance 
for the presentation of dissenting views is 
uncharted territory and equal access is by no 
means guaranteed. 
 
Raspolic