STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA much to the consternation of suspected Patriotic Front cadres who physically attacked the stations to interrupt the interview programmes. Some of the key informants interviewed attributed this to the effect of an uneven political playing field. Enock Ngoma, Chairperson of the Media Liaison Committee, noted: The political environment can never be safe for the media as long as politicians through party cadres continue harassing media personnel for giving coverage to opposition political parties. It is obvious that the political playing field in Zambia is not level or even and it is difficult for the media to bring out this aspect for fear of retribution from those in power. A number of media houses especially electronic, find themselves in situations where their media freedom is curtailed because their stations are attacked violently by those that do not want to hear different views from those that are not enjoying political power. Another trend observed was that of District Commissioners (DCs) overstepping their jurisdiction to stop certain programmes on community radio stations in their districts, a trend which is unlawful. Chief Government Spokesperson, Dora Siliya, spoke out on this trend and stated: Government is deeply disturbed by reports of interference in the programming of some radio stations in Mpika and Chinsali districts, where some broadcast programmes have reportedly been disrupted and some unlawful directives ordered. Government wishes to place on record that there are laws in place, with very specific provisions of who has authority, to regulate broadcasting in the country. The nation may recall that one of the earliest milestones of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government was the implementation of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act of 2002, which culminated into the operationalisation of the IBA in 2013, as a regulator of the broadcasting industry in the country. The IBA Act provides for every citizen, whether in their official or individual capacity, who feels aggrieved by the conduct of any pg. 30