Media rated higher than ACB in corruption fight

A report of a local survey indicates that Malawians rate the media as doing a better job than the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and other institutions in fighting corruption in the country.

ACB principal corruption prevention officer Ipyana Musopole said this to journalists undergoing a week-long training in tackling corruption which Transparency International (TI) jointly organised with the Malawi Economic Justice Network (Mejn) in Salima last week.

“According to a survey done locally, the media scored 75 percent and ACB came second with 73 percent, an indicator that people have more trust in the media. The media is doing a lot in discouraging, investigating, denouncing publicly the corrupt practices and intensifying journalists training in corruption,” said Musopole.

During the closing ceremony, Mejn executive director Dalitso Kubalasa called for working relationship between the civil society and the media.

According to world rankings of how people perceive their countries’ status on corruption, Malawi is on position 100. The rankings are released by TI, but government has trashed them on a number of occasions.

“You cannot argue with what people inside the country are saying. We welcome such [government lambasts] because it means the people have heard,” said Sophie Brown, TI assistant communications coordinator.