Post Newspaper Editor in Chief Fred Namakando M’membe has directed senior management staff at the institution to ensure that they “do” everything they can to ensure that the MMD loses this year’s elections if the paper is to survive.
During a recent management meeting at the Bwinjimfumu offices chaired by Mr. namakando M’membe senior editorial staff were directed to ensure that they exploit to the maximum the opportunity presented by the differences between President Rupiah Banda and his friends like Sebastian Zulu and George Chabwera.
“We are told that we must ensure that we fight the MMD. He (Fred) told us that we must not blink because we had taken a suicidal stance to endorse the PF and Mr. Sata. In fact he was saying that if the PF loses then we are in trouble as a newspaper.
“So he has directed that we must make sure that reporters speak to Mr. Zulu and Dr. Chabwera and portray a picture that Eastern Province had gone to PF. There is so much desperation he can even see how he panics on editorial comments,” one of the senior managers said.
The manager, who sought anonymity for fear of victimisation, complained that Mr. M’membe was unfairly treating them and using the newspaper for his personal political gains.
“On one hand he will always be bragging that he has nothing to lose because he has made so much money while on the other hand he says we need to fight this government. The newspaper is now run from Farmers house (The PF Secretariat) before we run a story reporters have to be dispatched to Mr. Sata’s office to get a comment.
“Some of us feel it’s enough and we are just waiting for these elections to move on with our lives for we are being treated like kids who do not know what we want. Imagine the man has the audacity sometimes to insult some tribes! it looks like the most important thing for him now is to push for a bemba, his auntie (Mrs. Inonge Wina) is just being used,” said the source.
During the same meeting Mr. M’membe directed that Mr. Amos Malupenga should immediately get the accounts department to prepare funds for a reporter Roy Haabalu to travel to Western Province.
“The statement by the President on the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) did not seem to be very welcome to Fred and Mr. Sata. The idea is to ensure that we painted the MMD black to the people in the Western Province so that they can vote for PF so when the statement was issued by State House immediately we had to dispatch a reporter to counter. The other Reporter Mwala Kalaluka who had gone for the Mututwa funeral was recalled,” said the source.
The senior manager said he felt pity for the young reporters who are being used for Fred’s personal political interests. “ I pity those young reporters whose names are being tarnished some of who are so ill-qualified that they can never work anywhere else if they lost their jobs at the Post today,” said the source.
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