State of the media report July - Dec 2022 Regarding the effect of the cadres behaviour on her work, the respondent said the station lost clients because they feared getting caught up in political issues, she went on to say because pf that a prospective client who wanted to sponsor the news pulled back and questioned the existence of the station. “Some clients thought the station was broadcasting illegally and had no licence so that act brought the stations name into disrepute” She said. The respondent asked if the station reported the matter to the police to which she said it did and some perpetrators were arrested, she added that she does not know whether they were charged because she still sees them walking free. The respondent was asked whether she knew what law protected her as a journalist and she said she did not. The UPND through its youth Party Youth Chairman Gilbert Liswaniso was engaged by the researcher and asked whether he was aware of what the party youths did at the affected radio stations and he was quick to admit, “Yes I have witnessed that and we suspended the youths who did that, with the recent ones being PASME FM in Eastern Province and Kokoliko FM on the Copperbelt. They thought doing that was pleasing the leadership. No one should harass any media house for whatever reason. That has happened before will not allow the youths to do that. We always admit when we know it’s our youth who are in the wrong and we always disciple them internally”, he said. DAKISO ZULU is a 32 year old journalist working for 3FM in Eastern Province. The responded was asked how they thought political interests affect media freedom in Zambia and he said the media is not free to express its self because of the fear of being closed down, he cited Prime TV as an example. Regarding how he was attacked by political cadres, below was his response: “I wrote a news story on FRA that said the government had delayed to pay the farmers after selling the maize to them, therefore the Ministry of agriculture was asked in parliament about the payments then he told the nation that everyone had been paid. The next day I opened the phone lines during the breakfast show and people were able to call in and expressed grievances which was contrary to the Minister’s statement in parliemant.Later that day on my way home,I was attacked by different people and was badly beaten, luckily I was able to recognize one person”. Asked how the attack affected him personally, the respondent said he was not affected and the experience “opened his eyes to journalism” and his work was not affected the respondent was asked whether he reported the matter to the police and he said that he did but the perpetrators were not brought to book The respondent was further asked he knew what law protected him as a journalist and he said ithat it was the Whistle blowers Act and the bill of rights. The researcher engaged a policy maker in the legal fraternity and whether there any particular challenges that journalists in Zambia face when it comes to reporting on politically sensitive issues or events he said and major challenge is the aspect of the Legal Framework. He added that there are no express provisions that provide for freedom of the media and as a result because of that journalists rely on the general freedom of expression. LOVEMORE PHIRI is a journalist working for PASME FM in Petauke, Eastern province. The respondent was asked to share his story about how he was attacked and he said “I hosted farmers on the breakfast show where they spoke about how the late distribution of farming inputs would negatively affect their crops. Midway through the show, about 4 men, 2 were clad in UPND regalia stormed the studio and demanded that we stop the show immediately because we were attacking government on the show, I refused to switch off the equipment, but they forced me 13