Non-Statutory measures

The Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ) has been set up as a non-statutory, voluntary, self-regulating council. It has drawn up a code of ethics that sets out the journalistic standards that its members are expected to follow. These include the following:

1. Journalists must report the truth and represent what their sources tell them fairly, accurately and objectively;

2. Newspapers should carry headlines that are fully warranted by the contents of the articles that they accompany. Likewise, photographs and telecasts should give an accurate picture of an event and should not highlight an incident out of context;

3. Journalists must respect the confidentiality of sources to which they have pledged anonymity;

4. Journalists should only use fair methods to obtain news, photographs and documents except where the overriding public interest justifies the use of other means;

5. Journalists must not accept bribes or compensation in any form in consideration for the dissemination or suppression of information;

6. Journalists should promptly correct any harmful inaccuracies and should ensure that corrections and apologies receive due prominence. Where necessary the person affected must be afforded the right to reply in order to get a balanced view;

7. Journalists should not encourage discrimination on arbitrary grounds such as sex or race;

8. Journalists should not obtain secondary employment, become involved politically, hold public office and serve in community organisations if it is going to compromise their integrity or that of their employers;

9. Plagiarism as a dishonest practice;

10. Journalists should respect the moral and cultural values of Zambian society. Journalists are also encouraged to respect the privacy of others unless the public interest demands otherwise.

The influence of MECOZ is limited, because some influential private media such as the newspaper, The Post, are not members of the organisation.