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Minister warns broadcasters

    JOHANNESBURG

    Zambian Information Minister Newstead Zimba has warned of unspecified action against radio stations labelled as “political”, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said in a statement on Friday.

    According to MISA, he told the Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA) that “I am going to take action against them”.

    MISA said that Zimba’s remarks followed efforts by ZIMA to get him to clarify remarks attributed to him in the state-owned ‘Times of Zambia’ newspaper on May 9, that some radio stations had become political and had departed from what was outlined in their original operating licences.

    ZIMA chairman David Simpson said that the terms of radio licence agreements were too restrictive. “It should not be necessary in a democracy to limit the hours of news bulletins and the freedom to include political material,” he said. “This is why we want to see an Independent Broadcasting Authority in place at the earliest possible time.”

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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