Malawian President Threatens Newspaper Closings

The general manager of Blantyre Newspapers Limited, which publishes the Malawi News and two other independent papers, said the company stands by its reporting.

Malawi flag courtesy: travelblog.org

(LILONGWE) - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the threatening comments made by President Bingu wa Mutharika last week against Malawian media outlets.

“I will close down newspapers that lie and tarnish my government’s image,” the president said at an agricultural fair in Blantyre last week. The president told editors to leave “blank pages or else publish pictures of cows, hyenas, or dogs,” if they have nothing positive to report.

Private publications, Malawi News and Weekend Nation cited a food supply forecast by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which said in the wake of dry conditions in the south, more than one million Malawians could face food shortages.

Recognized for a successful fertilizer subsidy program President Mutharika disputed the SADC projections, referencing government estimates of a surplus in maize production; a local journalists told CPJ.

Article 36 of the Malawi Constitution states: “The press shall have the right to report and publish freely, within Malawi and abroad, and to be accorded the fullest possible facilities for access to public information.”

The general manager of Blantyre Newspapers Limited, which publishes the Malawi News and two other independent papers, said the company stands by its reporting.

“Instead of making threats and telling editors what to print, the president should uphold his country’s constitutional commitment to press freedom,” said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. “The president should allow the press to report freely, especially on such vital matters as food supply.”

*Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)