STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA Mr Kasolo said by partnering with the private sector, the media will be equipped with information to report on various business aspects. He urged journalists to source content from MTN Zambia on the innovations in mobile money, data and voice calls to educate and inform the public. In the same vein, Mr. Kasolo, was quoted by the same newspaper saying the media must earn their respect by being objective in their reporting. On 6th May 2019, The Times of Zambia Publication reported that: Stakeholders have called on journalists and media house owners to earn their credibility by being professional in their work to restore public confidence which has been eroded. Information and Broadcasting Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo said journalist should earn their credibility by reporting more on non-political issues. Mr Kasolo said journalists were focusing more on political stories than on social issues. “it is true that issues to do with rural areas and other social issues are going unreported because journalists are focusing more on politics,” he said. Mr Kasolo said self-regulation would help restore confidence in Zambia’s journalism because it would promote professionalism. The problem of professionalism in the media industry is an issue that needs a careful examination for there to be a solution to tackling it. The struggles experienced by the media can be looked at from two different angles: lack of experience and training or education and poor working conditions for media workers that may possibly get them compromised. The bias in reportage may also be associated with the patronage stemming from media workers being supporters of political parties. 8.0. Negative developments The news of Times of Zambia employees going six months without salaries was one of the negative news in the period under review. The Zambia Reports on 16th May 2019 reported that: Times of Zambia employees have continued to struggle with non-payment of their salaries which have now hit six months. The state owned media institution continues to battle to pay workers despite having been aided by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) last year. The paper further reported that: The Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has expressed disappointment at the state of affairs at the Times of Zambia where employees are owed several months in unpaid salaries. 31