Malawi: NPL challenges injunction to stop publication

The ugly face of newsroom moles that have besieged the country's media, showed its face on Friday night, 11 March 2011, when the ruling Democratic progressive Party (DPP) regional governor for the south, Noel Masangwi used inside information to obtained a high court injunction stopping NPL from publishing a story that concerned him.

The well-investigated story revealed his K36 million tax evasion at Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA). One of the NPL editors confided to Bizcommunity that they were forced to withdraw a completed weekend edition that was on its way to outlets.

Fighting to publish story

While NPL acknowledges that it has been infiltrated by moles it said it still wants to publish the story.

"Our lawyers are fighting it this morning with a view that we publish the story and Masangwi pays for the loss in business," said one of the NPL editors in an interview with Bizcommunity opting for anonymity due to the injunction.

Malawi University is currently at loggerheads with government after a police inspector general summoned a lecturer over an issue he mentioned during a political science lecture where he talked about the political unrest in Egypt. For three weeks now studies have ground to a halt where students want the police chief to apologise and assure them of their academic freedom.

NPL editors have complained that it is clear that media freedom has been compromised.