In a bid to ensure safety of journalist during the electoral period, Malawi Police Service (MPS) in collaboration with the Media Council of Malawi says they will review the safety guidelines for media personnel that were established in 2020.
This was said in Blantyre during a daylong media training on safety of journalist during elections, organised by the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) with support from UNESCO.
National Police Deputy Spokesperson, Harry Namwaza, said the 2020 guidelines have several gaps that need to be addressed and make the document legally binding.
“There is need for us to develop the guidelines into a legally binding document. What we have now are just pointers on what journalists should do when they are covering political events during the elections period,” explained Namwaza.
Executive Director for MCM, Moses Kaufa, welcomed the idea of reviewing and developing the safety guidelines together with the police as well as sealing the guidelines with a Memorandum of Understanding.
“We would like to review the guidelines together with the Malawi Police and have a memorandum of understanding on the same to ensure the safety of journalists,” explained Kaufa.
The guidelines, which were established in 2020 by Malawi Police, aimed at helping journalist to work better and in collaboration with the police to ensure their safety.
