STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA on. This is even more dangerous as it would place institutions such as the independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) in a quandary if such a directive issued by government were to be followed to the latter. Also, the decision by entities like Topstar Communications which removed the TV station from its platform leaves much to be desired10. This is because the logic and justification provided is highly contestable provided that the company-though a partnership with government is somewhat expected to act independently and professionally especially that the government’s digital migration policy seems to suggest otherwise11. The entity is setup as the de facto public and private carrier and should thus accord equal opportunity to all as long as they meet the set requirements and licensing framework. It is for this reason that several stakeholders have questioned the digital migration policy implementation in so far as the issue of public and private carriers are concerned for increased independence. There is, therefore, need for continued dialogue on safeguarding the digital migration framework. Finally, while there are so many irregularities regarding the government directive to blacklist Prime Television, the TV station is, also, not without fault. It is important for media houses to support government efforts, particularly in times of disaster such as the Coronavirus disease. It is a wellknown fact that government owes huge sums to media houses, including for activities under the Electoral Commission of Zambia pertaining to past elections. While media houses continue to demand for what is rightfully theirs, there is need to ensure that it is done systematically using all provided channels-to the point of litigation where necessary as was the case between 10 This decision (removal from Topstar Bouquet) and government’s directive to blacklist the Station was challenged by Prime TV in the High Court on 30th March without success. The case was later suspended and referred to arbitration. Prime TV cited the Attorney General, Likando Kalaluka, Topstar Communications Company Limited and MultiChoice Zambia limited in the matter seeking a declaration that the decision by government to cease all transactions and business with it was unconstitutional. Read more at https://www.themastonline.com/2020/06/08/high-court-suspends-prime-tv-case-refers-it-to-arbitration/ 11 See https://www.iba.org.zm/downloads/Digital-Migration-Policy.pdf pg. 16