STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said in a statement yesterday that the incident allegedly happened on March 28 this year at 06:50 hours during a phone-in programme hosted by Millennium radio station. Mrs. Katongo said the suspect is alleged to have called the radio station and introduced himself as Chanda from Kabwe and used derogatory remarks against the President. The paper quoted the spokesperson saying: Investigations revealed that the suspect was not Chanda but Fred Maanya of Luanshya and not from Kabwe as he suggested Mrs. Kantongo said. The suspect is in custody and will appear in court soon. This case can be looked at from different angles. Of significance is the point that bullying whether perpetuated online or offline is wrong and must be corrected. It is important to remember that while everyone has a right to freedom of expression, caution must be exercised to ensure that the freedoms do not infringe on other people’s freedoms and liberties. 5.0. Freedom of expression – mainstream media/cyber space There were a number of positives scored in the quarter under review as pertains freedom of expression. Prominent was the directive by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services to open up ZNBC to host opposition political parties. On 27th May, 2019, The Zambian Observer Online Publication carried a headline, “Kasolo encourages ZNBC to host opposition political parties” The paper reported that: Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo has encouraged ZNBC to host opposition political parties on various programmes. Mr. Kasolo said that this will enable the political parties to share their policies on national issues and offer checks and balances to Government. Mr. Kasolo said that the national broadcaster has the responsibility to cover all stakeholders in an impartial and balanced manner. The pronouncement by the Permanent Secretary paints a picture of what ZNBC and other public media should be doing. The ZNBC Act of 2002 stipulates among others that one of ZNBC’s core mandate is to serve the public interest through providing varied and balanced programming. Mr. Kasolo’s appeal therefore, should serve as a reminder to ZNBC to ensure that its programming reflects the functions of the corporation as stipulated in the ZNBC Act of 2002. 24