STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA The need for specialised reporting has become a necessary part of the press because of the need to address the inadequacies presented by straightforward news reports. Because society is getting more and more complex with time, so are the people. Mere news stories are no longer adequate to address the yearnings of the complex human societies for complex angles to stories. An investment in specialised journalism is a step in the right direction. 4.3. Legal and Political Environment 4.3.1 Anti-Corruption fight The state of the media in the period under review was dominated by debates on corruptions and allegation of corruption. On 23th July, 2019 the Daily Mail newspaper reported that the state had trashed allegations of a Minister owning 40 houses. The paper quoted the Minister of Information and Broadcasting saying: Government regrets that sensationalism and failure to cross check facts with relevant authorities will remain a liability in the fight against corruption. “If a Zambian journalist, Kwangu Liwewe, had bothered to go to the Ministry of Local Government and get facts, she would have been offered a more substantiated story. Government has continued putting in place stringent measures to fight corruption against anyone because there are no sacred cows. She said the establishment of the Anti-Corruption commission, the Drug Enforcement Commission and, more recently, the Financial intelligent Centre, attest to this. This is coupled with Government’s hand-off approach to the media, which is free to report on corruption and other issues of national interest. This has enhanced the visibility of the country’s governance system, including the fight against corruption, not only locally but also at the international stage. Government is Proud that as a result of these and other measures, for the first time in the history of the country, the anti-corruption crusade is not only visible but also bearing the desired results. The minister said the fight against corruption is not only targeted at politicians but all government and private sector players. The case of a government Minister owning 40 houses were followed up by allegations of corruption that involved a total of forty-eight (48) mysterious houses that were purported by the Anti-Corruption Commission to be owned by no-one. 15