STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA operations. This was the motivation behind the advocacy for the ZNBC Act, the Independent Broadcasting Authority Act and many other proposals mooted by media NGOs through the Media Liaison Committee. On the legal front, suits and charges were noted against the media in the quarter under review. Among the incidents of note is a case in which Millennium Radio Station Manager, Martin Akende testified in a case of defamation of the President, following alleged defamatory remarks issued by a caller on one of the Station’s programmes. Many of the cases of defamation of the President21 recorded in the quarter were of individual citizens. However, like in the case involving Millennium radio, such incidents have potential to affect media houses as they offer a platform for members of the public to air their grievances. The law on defamation of the President is one law that is deemed to be inimical to freedom of expression as it places arbitrary discretion on law enforcement agencies to determine what should constitute defamatory matter or not. The law is further ambiguous as it places a criminal caveat on comments whether negative or positive22. In the quarter under review, cases of harassment and political violence against journalists and media houses were noted. One such case recorded on 31st January, involved Mwenya Mofya a 5FM Radio journalist, who was allegedly Intimidated and blocked from covering a press briefing which was scheduled at the PF Secretariat but later cancelled. The journalist was harassed by cadres and prevented from accessing the Secretariat. The trend of meting violence on journalists has been going on for a long time and has, sadly, been on the rise, especially during electoral campaigns. Violence has the potential to encourage self-censorship among journalists and media houses in fear of repercussions such as violent attacks from cadres. On this, one of the interviewees, Joan Chirwa, a media activist and former managing Editor of The Post Newspaper noted that: 21 Contained in Section 69 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia Manchishi, K. (2017) Defamation of the President and the law’s effect on media performance: a study of the Zambia Daily Mail and The Post Newspaper. Unpublished Master’s dissertation. Lusaka: UNZA. 22 pg. 22