SECTOR 2 2.8 All media fairly represent the diversity of voices of society The media are diverse, and many voices are represented. If one media house doesn’t cover you, there are others you can go to. However, some media houses have specific target audiences. Regarding the coverage of women, youths and children, media pay less attention to these sections of society. Women often make headlines as wives of ministers or the president, while youths rarely make headlines. In covering LGBTQI issues, the community often doesn’t come into the open because their activities are currently illegal and the social and cultural stigma. However, some bloggers write on LGBTQI issues, receiving international coverage. The constitution denotes Zambia as a ‘Christian’ nation, and there are core values of ‘morality and ethics’. The church is seen as being anti-LGBTQI issues and was outspoken against gay rights during the constitutional amendments of 2020, so these activities are still perceived as ‘not Christian and not moral’. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: Score of previous years: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2.4 2017 = 2.8 2.9 Media cover the full spectrum of economic, cultural, political, social, national and local perspectives including through investigative reports Certain media houses such as News Diggers focus on investigative reporting and are engaged in ongoing training for investigative journalists, but this is a rarity. Some of the reasons why there is so little coverage elsewhere include a lack of resources and low staffing levels. In this regard, Covid has had an impact on newsrooms that are generally cutting staffing levels. Most newsrooms do not have a dedicated investigative desk. In terms of public media, there are problems when reporting on the economy. Only ‘positive’ economic issues are covered. When it comes to politics, “political 26 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2021