STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT QUARTER 3. 2020 election-shooting, editing, data visualization, content management systems and so on and so forth-of online journalism. Alert-12th August (Daily Nation) Government should come up with a stimulus packages for media houses to counter the Covid19 negative impact on business, Young African Leader initiative (YALI has said. The organization observed that the media are key partners in national development and should be considered by government for help during these trying times. YALI President, Andrew Ntewewe said it was important, for the government to think about the media as they formulate policies on stimulus packages for key sectors of the economy. Mr. Ntewewe said in an interview that most media houses would not survive without a bailout and this would have a huge impact on democracy which he said thrives on freedom of expression. He said if the media which is the mouth piece of freedom of expression is destroyed by the effects of Covid-19, the fundamental rights such as freedom of expression would suffer because the public would have starved of information. “the biggest danger of the most of the media houses due to Covid-19 is that the public will be starved of information and you want to understand that democracy thrives on sharing of information, that democracy thrives on freedom of expression,” he said. He urged the government to think broadly on the issue of the stimulus package and include the media especially as the country heads towards the 2021 general elections. Mr Ntewewe said the media has had challenges over the years and have become worse with the outbreak of Covid-19. He highlighted high taxation and the high cost of publishing newspaper for the print media as some of the challenges faced by the media houses. Alert-13th August (PASME Radio) Threatened On 13/08/2020, MISA Zambia received a report from radio Pasme Station of its closure by the Petauke District Commissioner for airing a recorded UPND radio program. Radio Pasme Station Manager Mathews Banda explained that, Ms. Velenasi Moyo pounced on their radio station and stopped a paid-for recorded UPND program saying that they have to always get a police permit whenever they have to feature any opposition political party on radio. “We notified the police during the day over the program and security situation was ok. No any politicians from any political party came to interfere as the program was running. She came and demanded for a police permit, then she further called the police to come and close the station,” Mr Banda stated. He further said Ms. Moyo said that the station will remain closed until further notice because of airing opposition programs. Mr Banda appealed to MISA Zambia to guide them on further action. Alert update-14th August (Lusaka Times) Media bodies in Zambia have condemned Petauke District Commissioner Velenasi Moyo for illegally ordering the closure of privately owned PASME radio station. 46