State blacks out Prime TV

GOVERNMENT has stopped cooperating with Prime Television station following the latter’s refusal to help sensitise the public about the coronavirus. Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Dora Siliya announced the cessation in a statement yesterday, entailing that the government and any of its agents shall not conduct any media transactions with Prime Television station. Ms. Siliya said there shall be no appearance of public officers and officials on Prime Television programmes, whether paid for or otherwise, until further notice. “Government also wishes to categorically state that journalists from Prime Television shall not be invited to cover any governmentrelated business. All ministries, provinces, and other spending agencies are henceforth advised to cancel all business transactions that they may have with Prime Television station and to cease any form of cooperation with the broadcasting station. “This decision has been necessitated by the position taken by Prime Television station which, through its proprietor Mr. Gerald Shawa on Friday 13th March 2020, declared that the station shall not help Government to sensitise members of the general public about the Corona virus,” Ms. Siliya said. According to her, Mr. Shawa also boasted that the government was only utilising his station because he had a large audience and not because it wanted to support his station financially.