recommendation by the Appointments Committees until he finds boards which suit him. In the case of the ZNBC this would mean perpetuating the illegality of the present ZNBC board which has been in place since August 2003. In the case of broadcasting regulation, the Minister still grants licences to new operators without regard to the fact that this should be done by the Independent Broadcasting Authority under the IBA Act. Five years after the enactment of the laws, the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) has not been established and the ZNBC is still controlled by a government appointed board. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 2.5 1, 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1 2.1 (2005 = 2.1) Community broadcasting enjoys special promotion given its potential to broaden access by poor and rural communities. ANALYSIS: The growing number of new radio stations is evidence of the support and attention given to community broadcasting in Zambia. The Media Trust Fund, run by donors and the six media associations, actively assists the establishment of new stations and provides support for programming content. The Media Trust Fund is on course in the establishment of five new rural radio stations. Community radio stations are controlled by NGOs and church organisations with the majority owned by the Catholic Church. Only a few are purely community-driven. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 2.6 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 5, 2, 4, 3 3.6 (2005 = 4.0) The editorial independence of print media published by a public authority is protected adequately against undue political interference. ANALYSIS: The editorial independence of the two state-owned newspapers - Zambia Daily Mail and the Times of Zambia - is not protected in any sense from undue political interference. The boards of the two organisations are appointed by and answerable to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, and the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary sits on both boards. The stated mission of the two publications is clear: “to advocate public policy”. Political interference is the reason for declining professional standards especially in regard to political reporting or the coverage of potentially contentious issues where government or the ruling party are involved. Top employees are under constant threat of being fired but rank-and-file editors do have a certain degree of freedom as it is very difficult under the labour laws to dismiss them. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: So This Is Democracy? 2007 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 1.2 (2005 = 0) -258- Media Institute of Southern Africa