SECTOR 1 Recent events, e.g. the suspension of licences of one television and two radio stations in August 2016 by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA)9, reveals that there is no effective media freedom in the country. It was felt by some that “civil society didn’t make a lot of noise” about those incidences. When Thomas Zyambo was searched, and arrested for allegedly being linked to the Zambian Watchdog, (as allegedly being one of its contributors) “we didn’t see people on the street,” there was, “little response from CSOs.” However, it was pointed out that individual organisations “never stand down” when there are attacks on media freedom and that organisations issued statements, visited affected media houses and have “done a lot in terms of showing solidarity”. Others noted that civil society faces several restrictions when trying to publicly condemn media crackdowns. “Even if we try to do a peaceful demonstration you are stopped, victimised, or arrested.” Some organisations remain inactive due to the “levels of crucifixion because of their activism;” and, “you can’t really blame them.” Sometimes there are specific issues which, even though they might concern a media house or media practitioners, are related to issues outside the realm of media freedom, e.g. labour issues. Therefore, civil society will restrain themselves from getting involved. At other times, there can be ethical reasons for civil society not speaking out about a specific matter. An example was given in relation to the closure of The Post newspaper in June 2016. During that time, claims surfaced that The Post did not pay their staff and therefore some organisations felt the closure of the newspaper was not a clearcut media freedom issue to begin with. Others felt that the reason given by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) for the closure of the newspaper, namely being behind with its tax payments, was only used as an excuse and the real reason was that The Post was “the only independent newspaper that was publishing critical information” around the elections. In such contested circumstances, CSOs may first evaluate what, if any, interventions to take. Some panellists felt that a lot was done by CSOs to emphasise that the closure of The Post “was more than a tax issue.” Others, however, felt that a discourse highlighting that the closure may have been “an attempt to silence an alternative voice” did not take place in the public domain. Regarding the advancement of access to information, there is a strong Access to Information Coalition in Zambia which makes coordinated efforts to influence the state of freedom of information in the country. 9 26 For more details see indicator 3.3 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2017