The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has reiterated on the need for journalists in the country to be nonpartisan when reporting on electoral matters.

The appeal has been made in Lilongwe during a media training that MEC has organised which has seen participation of journalists from different media houses across the country.

MEC Commissioner Jean Mathanga said balanced reporting is very crucial in ensuring that the public access right information on elections.

“Balanced reporting is very critical in that you are dealing with voters out there so if you don’t do the right thing in your reporting it has the potential of bringing chaos in the whole process.”

Mathanga said media practitioners need to be taught on how to relay factual information to help voters to make informed decisions.

On his part, Chief Technical Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Richard Cox said the training aims at equipping journalists with skills that will enable them to carry out their duties professionally.

“We need to share facts with the electorates as far as possible. A lot of people out there don’t have access to the information the media have access and it is important that the information on how the process is organized is shared as accurate as possible.”