Media Council of Malawi (MCM) is pushing for recognition of media self-regulation in the Communications Act to specifically recognise the council as a designated body that upholds ethical standards and professionalism in the local media industry.
In its October 20 2025 submission to Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) as part of recommendations on the review of the Communication Act, the council argues that media self-regulation is a cornerstone of a free press and is preferable to State-imposed statutory regulation, which threatens media independence and freedom of expression.
Reads the submission in part: “State recognition of self-regulation demonstrates the State’s commitment to media freedom and prevents the government from having the impetus to intervene and regulate content directly.
“The MCM, being run by the media industry itself, is better positioned to enforce codes of conduct, resolve public complaints fairly, and encourage high ethical standards among practitioners. This mechanism is crucial for maintaining public trust in the media.”
The council further recommends delinking of Macra and Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) from the Communications Act, saying the two institutions should have separate special Acts governing them.
The Media Institute for Southern Africa (Misa)-Malawi also proposed changes to the Communications Act to ensure the independence of Macra and MBC operations.
In its submission to Macra, Misa Malawi recommended, among others, that the Macra and MBC boards should be appointed by a neutral and non-partisan entity that will be appointed and constituted by the Media and Communications Committee of Parliament or the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament.
Macra spokesperson Limbani Nsapato said he could not comment on the recommendations made by the stakeholders, saying the Digital Laws Task Force is reviewing the inputs made by various stakeholders on the Communications Act and will decide what to take on board.
He said the first draft of the Communication Bill will be shared with key stakeholders before the task force comes up with the second draft that will be submitted to Macra board for approval.
“The target is that the second draft should be submitted by end April 2026. After approval by the board the draft will be submitted to the mother ministry for further processes,” said Nsapato.
In a notice dated August 18 2025 Macra indicated that it had embarked on a process to review the Communications Act.
