MEDIA HOUSES NEED STIMULUS, SAYS TONGA
IT
IS obnoxious for Government to watch media houses plunge into financial desolation without any bailout initiative amid the ravaging Covid-19, the 3RD Liberation Movement has said. The opposition party noted that the media plays a very critical role in national development Mr Enock Tonga, the 3RD LM president, said the party was boggled by Government’s move to turn a blind eye to the economic challenges facing the media despite stakeholders donating to the fight against Covid-19. Mr Tonga said media houses were among the most hit businesses in the country but that nothing had been done to provide a stimulus package for them. According to Mr Tonga, no media has received any funding for publicity in the fight against Covid-19 even when some of the funds were donated specifically for publicity or campaign messages to sensitise the public. “We believe that part of the funds which have been donated be given to media houses as a token of appreciation and cushion Covid-19 campaign message costs incurred by media houses. Where is it? Who are the beneficiaries, if the intended beneficiaries (media houses) have not yet received it up to now?” Mr. Tonga asked. Mr Tonga said like a few other businesses, many budget-strapped media companies were continuing to operate as usual while figuring out how to make a profit amid the economic slump induced by the fast-spreading Coronavirus. He said to lighten the financial hardship battering journalists, media houses would need low-interest loans.