EDITORIAL|The Forum
President Peter Mutharika has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to restore integrity at the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). The taxpayer-funded broadcaster has for too long operated as a mouthpiece for those in power rather than a public service committed to fairness and professionalism.
Mutharika himself was among MBC’s targets during the recent campaign. Its Director General, George Kasakula, used the airwaves to ridicule the then-opposition leader, a clear breach of the corporation’s legal obligation to maintain neutrality. His sudden on-air apology following Mutharika’s victory—reportedly under coercion—only deepened public distrust in the broadcaster’s independence.
The episode should mark a turning point. MBC’s credibility crisis is not new; successive administrations have exploited it for partisan gain. Media watchdogs such as MISA Malawi and the Media Council of Malawi have long warned that true reform requires revisiting how the MBC and MACRA boards are constituted.
Now that Mutharika has acknowledged MBC’s misconduct, he must move beyond rhetoric. Reforming the broadcaster’s governance and insulating it from political control would demonstrate genuine commitment to accountability and democratic norms.
Restoring MBC’s neutrality would not only strengthen Malawi’s media landscape but also signal the beginning of a government that values transparency over propaganda.
