My Thought

Fight corruption not journalists

The arrest of investigative journalist Gregory Gondwe, the ransacking of his office and confiscation of his gadgets, including computers on Tuesday April 5, will remain one of the sad and an unfortunate events in the history of journalism in Malawi.

Gregory was arrested for doing nothing wrong save for exposing the corruption and the rot that runs deep in the country. His biggest crime was not even that the story he wrote was factually wrong, far from it, his crime was revealing that while government says one thing on the public podium, it does something different, perhaps under the cover of darkness.

As the police were interrogating Gregory and forcing him to reveal his source of information, enemies of this country, the corrupt criminals who have captured Malawi’s leaders, were and are still roaming freely, perhaps looking at the whole event with a self-satisfying smirk.

What has come out clearly from this arrest is that the issue is bigger than what the public was told or meant to believe. The arrest of Gregory was not an arrest of an individual journalist, for starters, it was an attack on a freedom of the media. The arrest was meant to silence and intimidate the media and journalists. It was also meant to deny Malawians access to information and keep them in the dark about what their government is doing and failing to do.

The media is entrusted with a very important role of informing the society about matters that are important to them and create a platform for public debate, reflection and scrutiny. It is because of this role that the media is considered a watchdog. A free and independent media is essential in a democratic society as it enables the free exchange of ideas, opinions and information and hence, allows members of society to form their own opinions on issues of public importance.

The media is an enemy of the State, rather is it those who steal from Malawians that are enemies of the State and ought to be dealt with decisively. Government should be spending resources and energy to fight corruption rather than fighting the media. Muzzling the media is akin to denying Malawians the freedom to access information that they can use to make informed decisions.

As the fourth estate, the media is critical in offering checks and balances. It is for this reason that April 5, 2022 was such a sad day as it clearly showed that the government and its agencies are not ready for check and balances. They would rather arrest journalists while shielding corrupt criminals.

If the response from within and outside the country is anything to go by, government would be wise enough never to repeat what happened on April 5. Government should be preoccupied with fighting corruption and let journalists report freely without intimidation and interference.

Sellina Kainja

Online Editor | Social Media Expert | Earth Journalism Network Fellow | Media Trainer | Columnist

Related Articles

Check Also
Close
Back to top button