STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT QUARTER 4, 2020 therefore call upon Sun FM management to serious look into this matter and take appropriate action.” She stated that Zambia is a signatory to the SADC the Gender Protocol Agreement which calls for 50/50 gender representation. “Therefore, MISA Zambia expects all media institutions to align their political programmes in line with this protocol. As we approach the 2021 general elections, we call on all media houses to treat all political players equally, regardless of their political affiliation, race, tribe or gender,” Ms Mwale stated. “MISA Zambia also expects journalists and talk show hosts to be non-partisan, independent, gender sensitive, and objective while moderating their political programmes in order to give every political party a platform to explain its manifesto. MISA Zambia is also appealing to media houses and journalists in particular to promote female participation in political governance of this country.” Alert-13th October (Diamond TV) On 13/10/2020, MISA Zambia received the report of Censorship from Mpika FM. The facts of the matter are that on 12th October, 2020 the Democratic Party (DP) President Mr. Harry Kalaba was blocked from featuring on the radio programme on Mpika FM. MISA ZAMBIA FOLLOW-UP It is reported that DP officials paid for the radio programme but did not mention the person who was going to feature on the programme was Mr Kalaba and when he reached the radio station, the workers looked disturbed and shocked citing that they have received an instruction that he should not feature by the District Commissioner and the police. However, Mr. Kalaba managed to have a pre- recorded program instead of the live programme. Mpika Radio Station Manager Joseph Kapena, he confirmed the incidents and stated that the pre-recorded programme was aired twice repeatedly just after it was recorded without disturbance. Communique-26th October (News Diggers) Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Dora Siliya says it is a total fabrication to argue that government closed Prime TV and the Post Newspaper. And Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo says unruly citizens that disrupt radio programmes will not be allowed to go scot-free. Meanwhile, Ikelengi UPND Member of Parliament Elijah Muchima says the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, through ZNBC, only covers PF activities, which is why the corporation remains a loss-making venture. P a g e 44 | 56