Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LILONGWE68
2006-01-25 14:47:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Lilongwe
Cable title:  

TWO NEW PRO GOVERNMENT TABLOIDS LAUNCHED

Tags:  PGOV OPRC MI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

251447Z Jan 06
UNCLAS LILONGWE 000068 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE PASS USAID
AF/S FOR MOZENA, MALLORY
AF/PD FOR MING

REF: 2005 LILONGWE 1018

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OPRC MI
SUBJECT: TWO NEW PRO GOVERNMENT TABLOIDS LAUNCHED

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000068

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE PASS USAID
AF/S FOR MOZENA, MALLORY
AF/PD FOR MING

REF: 2005 LILONGWE 1018

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OPRC MI
SUBJECT: TWO NEW PRO GOVERNMENT TABLOIDS LAUNCHED


1.(SBU) Two new pro-government newspapers, The Guardian and
The Weekly Courier have recently appeared in Malawi. The
Guardian is reported to be owned by a consortium of
entrepreneurs, but is in fact funded by President Mutharika
and managed by his daughter Duwa. The Guardian largely
fills the role of the now-defunct Democratus, which
functioned as a mouthpiece for the Administration to counter
the President's political opponents. Democratus was owned
by former Presidential confidant and political advisor Ken
Zikhale Ng'oma, who stopped publishing the paper after
leaving government. Presidential Press Officer Chikumbutso
Mtumodzi commented to Public Affairs staff that the
President asked him to oversee the establishment of the
paper. Presidential press secretary and IV alumnus, Mike
Kamwendo is also an editorial advisor to the Guardian.
Kamwendo recently commented to PAO that he was working to
help the President do a better job of communicating his
success stories to the public.

2.(U) The Weekly Courier has also risen out of the fall of
the Democratus, and is reported to be funded by Malawi
Housing Corporation regional manager, Wanagwa Mbereka.
Mbereka has no public political affiliation with Mutharika,
but the paper is staunchly pro-Government. The Guardian
(circulation 9000) and The Weekly Courier (Circulation 5000)
are both telling the Mutharika Administration's success
stories and attacking the President's political opponents.
Both papers receive an inordinately large portion of
government-generated advertising revenue, provoking
resentment by established independent papers. The Guardian
plans to expand into a daily paper by February.

3.(SBU) Comment: Owning a newspaper seems to be a
prerequisite for Malawian presidents. By placing his
daughter and State House press officials in charge,
Mutharika will certainly be able to both promote his
Administration's achievements and attack opponents.
Directing a sizable stream of government advertising, a
primary source of revenue for Malawian newspapers, to the
Guardian and Courier also appears to be an accepted part of
the spoils system here, although other media outlets
complain about the practice. Unfortunately, creating two
new pro-government papers does little to counter the cynical
lack of professionalism in Malawian journalism, and
undercuts the legitimacy of whatever real good news the
Government is trying to disseminate. End Comment.

GILMOUR