SECTOR 2 in leadership from the MMD to the PF, “there has been some improvement, but there is serious backsliding.” Recently, a journalist was “retired in the national interest” because of his reporting. “There is no editorial independence. He who pays the piper calls the tune.” In October 2011, soon after the PF came to power, a panellist was contacted by a reporter from the Times of Zambia to comment on the ministers of Information and Broadcasting Services announcement regarding the termination of the contracts of the “Zambia Daily Mail Managing Editor Evans Milimo and Times of Zambia Editor John Phiri”. The panellist had responded that he had nothing against the individuals chosen, but took issue with the way in which the appointments were done. “There was nothing in the paper for the next few days. Then five days later, a story was published with someone else responding to all the comments I had made, but without my comments being noted.” The panellist questioned why these papers bothered to seek varied views if they weren’t going to print them. Another example relates to coverage on the subsidy issue: “If the opposition and public are against it and the government is for it, you see several editorials from a government perspective.” Another example is a case in which the president left the country quietly, but government refused to disclose his destinations or the reason for the trip. When he returned, the state papers carried headlines stating that he had returned. “But they were too scared to publish where he was returning from. So it is clear that interference is there.” On other controversial issues, several voices with the same opinions receive media coverage, while divergent voices are “shut out”. Despite the perceived improvement in the landscape for practising journalism under the new government, there is a sense that self-censorship in Zambian state media newsrooms still takes place, especially in terms of political reporting. The editorial boards of the public print media lack independence, in the sense that the minister appoints the entire board, as well as the chief executive officer (CEO). “The minister appoints who he wants. There is a lack of criteria, reason or justification, and the appointees are often party cadres, and others who are being awarded for their loyalty.” There appears to be the sense of a “clash of professionalism and ownership” at the Daily Mail and the Times of Zambia, based on the perception that they serve to “protect government’s interests”. “There’s a need for greater corporate governance, and following of procedures.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2013 33