My message is that the point of journalism is to hold people in positions of power accountable! All leaders are readers, so we expect them to get the message!
You’re Welcome!
At Woodpecker’s Digest, we address both our leaders and their followers through a very versatile but factual approach to putting news into some perspective that is easier to relate to in the context of our day to day struggles to make ends meet.
To begin with, let’s agree on this fundamental principle that the point of journalism is to hold people in positions of power accountable not to write what they want to read. We know that all progressive leaders are readers so we reach out to them through our well selected stories reflecting what’s truly obtaining on the ground!
The truth in our analyses and commentaries may, at times, hurt but it’s our hope that it will make them to think and reflect objectively. To make well-informed, thoughtful decisions and lead different personalities, one must be able to see things from perspectives other than one’s own.
One of the best ways reading creates great leaders is by providing insight into other people’s experiences and viewpoints, expanding their ability to see beyond their own. Learning about others’ experiences may also introduce them to a way of doing something they had never thought of before.
When we shared political analyses prior to the 2021 general elections demanding answers from some candidates on how they would reduce the price of mealie meal to K50 per 25Kg bag, God! weren’t we called names? We did not mind because, we don’t go into journalism to become rich or popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.
Also Read: Mwebantu – Police arrest Zambia Reports editor for criminal libel.
As a voter, you’re most likely not going to have the opportunity to hold a one-on-one conversation with all your future leaders and the experts they may choose to work with to implement solutions to our various social economic development challenges but you can still hear from them by reading Woodpecker’s Digest, not discussing them in WhatsApp groups. Many of them are not only readers but also writers willing to share their best advice and insights in their articles that we carry.
Today, we have been vindicated on many issues beyond reducing commodity prices. And we are not surprised that the same people who believed in miraculous fixes are the same ones complaining the most because many shun reading objective articles. Let’s learn from this, going forward, and prioritize patriotism, which is standing by our country, Zambia, before any political party.
Patriotism does not mean to stand by the President or any other public figure. It is patriotic to support the President in as far as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent he fails in his duty to stand by the country. Should we be praising public figures who do the opposite of what they promised to do? Would that not make us not only unpatriotic but also a special kind of intelligent people?
Also Read: This is a wrong time to align Zambia to the US with a changing geopolitical landscape.
Someone may not appreciate professional journalism but journalism without a moral position is impossible. It’s our belief that every journalist is a moralist. Journalism is what maintains democracy because it’s often the voice for the voiceless. And we see it as a great tool for progressive social change!
Mpandashalo Evans Mwewa
WhatsApp: +260 977 430702
©2022 Woodpecker’s Digest Inc.
Putting news into perspective
