SECTOR 4 4.3 Salary levels and general working conditions, including safety, for journalists and other media practitioners, are adequate Salaries are generally low in the Zambian media. Some presenters on community radio stations only get ZMK20 (US$1) a day. Most of these presenters, therefore, work just for experience. Journalists working at these stations can receive as little as ZMK240 a month (US$13). Within media organisations, there are always different salary levels, varying according to position and also between the media houses. An approximate entry-level salary for a private media reporter with an undergraduate degree could be approximately ZMK2,500 (US$135) per month. But with private media, the working conditions are very poor. “Someone worked for a TV station with no contract, and the salary depended on what the manager felt like paying – it was only between ZMK1,000 and ZMK3,000 per month.” A recent survey by MISA Zambia of 250 journalists established the average salary range was between ZMK1,000 and ZMK3,500. Very few earned above that amount. Those working in the public media were paid better, in the range of over ZMK6,000 (US$330) per month. Conditions at the public media are better than private media because they have a union that fights for their rights. ZNBC works with job grades. The minimum entry salary in the newsroom is above ZMK8,000 per month (US$440). By comparison, the living wage in Zambia is ZMK8,000 (US$440) a month for a family of five. Many journalists in the private media have no contracts. They survive by refunds and transport allowances. On the issue of safety, journalists are vulnerable. “Anything can happen to them at any time.” During Covid, journalists were regarded as frontline workers, but management did not put in place enough precautions (sanitisers, face masks, etc.) to protect them. There were also cases of journalists wanting interviewees to remove masks when being interviewed so the ‘viewer could see their face’. On the other hand, ZNBC is very strict about Covid regulations. Newsrooms are sanitised, and reporters are encouraged to keep their distance when interviewing sources. But even in the public media, Covid has had an impact. Although the cost of living is rising, there have been no salary increments. Instead, working hours were decreased (which has had a negative impact on salaries). Short-term contract workers have also been released and voluntary separation packages offered for full-time staff. 42 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2021