Nice challenges Malawi media on transparent polls
The National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust has challenged the media to adequately supply the public with correct and impartial information on the 2014 Tripartite Elections for Malawi to achieve free, fair and transparent polls.
Speaking when he officially opened a two-day training workshop for journalists in Mangochi, Nice national programmes manager Gray Kalindekafe noted that adequate information on parties’ policies and candidates is critical in helping the electorate make wise and informed choices.
He explained that a free and fair election is not about casting ballots only but also having access to impartial and credible information on the electoral processes.
Kalindekafe said, therefore, that the successful delivery of free, fair and credible elections is dependent on efforts undertaken to adequately mobilise, motivate and inform citizens to enable them to make informed choices.
“This entails creating good quality messages through electronic, print and social media that can persuade the electorate to go and vote.
“Nice regards the media as an indispensable ally in its efforts to contribute towards the a free, fair and credible 2014 Tripartite Elections, hence the decision to partner with journalists to achieve this goal,” he explained.
In his remarks, Blantyre Press Club president Blessings Kanache said the training had come at the right time when the campaign period was about to start.
However, Kanache asked Nice to conduct more of such trainings to equip journalists with requisite skills for fair and balanced electoral reporting.
“As Blantyre Press Club, we promise to write more stories on elections to ensure the electorates are informed on the processes of tripartite elections,” he said.
