STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT QUARTER 3. 2020 It is hoped that government will expedite plans announced in 2019 to empower the Independent Broadcasting Authority to fully regulate public service broadcasters (such as ZNBC-which is also established by an Act of Parliament). Such a harmonisation of the Acts will help to hold public broadcasters accountable to particular standards in public interest. There is also need to develop a framework for other public media such as the state run newspapers even under the proposed Zambia Media Council Bill which is discussed further in the legal environment section below. On the social front, the effects of the Coronavirus disease continued to affect the work of the media in gathering information for news and other programmes. The easing of restrictions (such as travel) by government was a positive move as it helped to begin a gradual return to normal operations even for media practitioners13. However, the pandemic continued to inhibit the work of the media through the socioeconomic challenges it presented. According to a survey conducted by the Free Press Initiative during the quarter under review, most media houses in Zambia were not adequately prepared to counter the negative effects of the pandemic14. Some of the effects include job losses due to downscaling, loss of revenue and challenges related to programme production due to preventive measures, among others. A full analysis on the COVID-19 pandemic vis-à-vis the media in the quarter under review is undertaken in the economic environment section below. Commenting on the operational challenges posed by the effects of the pandemic, one of the interview participants, Joseph Mwenya, a Kabwe based journalist noted that: Managing a newsroom when reporters are working from home is a real challenge, both technically and organizationally. For example, one may not have the facilities readily available such as Airtime and internet bundles to send a news item in a timely manner. Failure to meet sources has also led to airing stories that fall short of meeting the ingredients of a good news story prepared by Free Press Initiative. According to the survey, 84% of the respondents reported that they were not prepared for the pandemic while 16% indicated average preparedness. Further, salary and job cuts were effected by 7.69% of the respondents, 38% had staff take time off work without pay and 23% downsized their operations. 13 See a summary of country restrictions at https://www.worldaware.com/covid-19-alertzambia-maintains-restrictions-commercial-flightsoperating 14 This is contained in a position paper on the impact of COVID-19 on Zambia’s news media as 18