STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT QUARTER 3. 2020 IBA found itself oscillating between the two positions as to whether it has authority over content exclusively streamed on a social networking platform. Other notable issues within the quarter under review include the findings of the MISA regional ‘Trust in the media’ survey, which found, among others, that social media was seen to have generally lowered the standards of journalism across the three countries surveyed i.e. Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The study generally established that fake news is mostly prevalent on social media and on some online news platforms most of which are not known as to where they are domiciled39. This is a saddening state of affairs indeed as several stakeholders, government inclusive, have raised alarm over the increasing abuses on social media. It is, therefore, no wonder that there is very little trust from the public, given the high rate of fake news by ‘news sites’ that have mushroomed and are in many cases run by untrained individuals. It is important that the traditional media equally increase their online presence to offer credible, verified and trustworthy information. Further, the law must be allowed to take its course and perpetrators of online crimes brought to book; nonetheless, the situation must not be used as an excuse to stifle the freedom of expression and victimise those seen to propagate dissenting views online. The findings on fake news were echoed by one of the interview participants, Joseph Mwenya, a Kabwe-based journalist who said: People spending so much time at home turned them into de facto journalists posting fake news and unverified stories online about covid-19 and other issues which made it extremely difficult for media houses to work. People would see unverified stories on social media and created some confusion when media houses aired a story different from what was trending on social media. On a positive note, communication technology platforms were used during the quarter to alleviate some of the challenges facing society. One such instance is the USAID’s launch of radio broadcasts of pre-recorded, interactive lessons to reach students, teachers, and parents as credible. Despite some of the online news websites being run by traditional media institutions in all the three countries, in Zambia and Malawi, the level of trust attached to this particular media type is relatively lower. 39 The study also established that most online platforms that are in the habit of promulgating fake news are not locally based and that most locally based online news websites are quite 34