Who Watches the Watchdog: Evaluating the Contribution of the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) to the Quality and Performance of the Media in Malawi

The democratic reforms that took place in Malawi between 1992 and 1994 led to an unprecedented growth in the mass media. The Media Council of Malawi was established as a voluntary, independent and non-statutory institution to promote self discipline among its members and to consider complaints against the media from the public. We argue that since its establishment in 1996, the objectives of MCM are largely unfulfilled and the survival of MCM is questionable. The immediate problem of the MCM is the lack of funding to monitor the media; enforce ethics; accredit journalists and address public complaints through its disciplinary bodies. The deeper problem is the lack of management ability and ability to mobilize support.