**Updates IFEX alert of 6 March 2000** (MISA/IFEX) – The freedom of expression monitoring group Article 19 has unveiled significant evidence of media manipulation in Malawi’s 1999 presidential election campaign. In an election media monitoring project conducted between February and June of 1999, Article 19 alleged the existence of two “disinformation teams”, and found that […]
**Updates IFEX alert of 6 March 2000**
(MISA/IFEX) – The freedom of expression monitoring group Article 19 has unveiled significant evidence of media manipulation in Malawi’s 1999 presidential election campaign.
In an election media monitoring project conducted between February and June of 1999, Article 19 alleged the existence of two “disinformation teams”, and found that the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party exercised illegal advertising and fabricated news reports.
The report suggested that the first “disinformation team” was formed in 1998 by then Minister of Information Sam Mpasu, and aimed to “portray the government in a positive light while putting the opposition in a negative light”. The team allegedly included the minister’s personal assistant, who later became director general of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Wilson Pankuku, the editor of the “This is Malawi” newspaper, Antony Livuza, and the editor of the “Weekly News” newspaper, George Tukhuwa.
Article 19 alleged that the second “disinformation team”, headed by MBC’s Eunice Chipangula and composed of the station’s junior staff, was launched in 1999 and funded by the UDF. The report stated that MBC initially mixed campaign news with the regular news bulletin, and later established a regular campaign slot in favour of the UDF over two months before the election. MBC reportedly allowed the UDF to release paid advertisements during the campaign period, which violated Malawi’s Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Act (section 63).
Evidence of fabricated reports came to light when Article 19 proved that an organisation working in conjunction with the UDF’s Voter Action Poll was completely “untraceable”. Further investigations revealed that at least five more organisations referred to in the pro-government media were also untraceable. One of the fabricated pro-opposition groups was reported to be planning an armed resistance in the event that President Bakili Muluzi should win the election.
Article 19 reported that the government-owned “Mirror” newspaper fabricated evidence to misreport the internationally reputable “Economist” magazine in favour of the government. The report cited this incident as one of several stories that were “knowingly disseminated through the government media by civil servants working for the Ministry of Information”. Article 19 further indicated that taxpayers’ money financed most of the efforts to disseminate the government media’s misinformation.