STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA When these young people insult one woman, they are actually insulting you too,” she said. The Minister has since called upon young people to desist from the agenda of insulting the elderly as any person walking in the street is their family. Meanwhile, Prof. Luo has said the Caucus for Women Parliamentarians will, during this sitting, sponsor a Private Members’ Bill which seeks to protect women against abuse especially in the cyberspace. This is against the backdrop of several arrests of citizens for defamation of the President on social media platforms as well as cases of cyberbullying. While the concerns on cyberbullying and criminality conducted online are welcome, it is also important that this is not taken advantage to clampdown on critical voices or dissenting opinions expressed online mainly due to shrinking freedoms in the conventional space44. As stated in the discussion in the sociopolitical and legal environment above, there are many laws that exist in the statute books (among them defamation of the President), which are inimical to freedom of expression and of the press in Zambia. It is therefore important to realise the unique capabilities of the internet space and to create a conducive environment for citizens to enjoy the benefits of such platforms through timely and accurate provision of information by relevant stakeholders to curtail speculation. On this, one of the key informants, Youngson Ndawana, a Doctoral researcher at the Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom, noted: We have a great presence of news media on online platforms and the internet reach has increased exponentially. Whether the traditional media is taken out or not, there is still potential to dictate debate on various online platforms. Look at how government machinery always responds to issues that gain traction online and this epitomises the power of social media platforms that we as the media in general would do well to capitalise and employ in terms of pushing the agenda. It is an important opportunity for media to continue utilising these platforms and facilitating debate using platforms that have been proven to work and going forward the government will be engaged to respond further. 44 Ndawana, Y. (2015) Policy Brief on media law and policy in Zambia. Lusaka: MISA. pg. 40