STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA hence create a much more conducive environment for ZNBC to operate without undue influence from political players. Also making news in the period under review were calls for regulation of social media and issues surrounding the Access to Information (ATI) Bill. 4.1 Policy and Statutory Framework 4.1.1. Social Media Regulation There has been a lot of talk of cyberspace regulation especially in relation to fake news. Government has been in the fore front advocating for the regulation of the cyberspace. On 2nd July, 2019 the Daily Nation Newspaper Publication carried a headline, “State to curb Social Media falsehood.” It was reported that the then Minister of Transport and Communication, Hon. Dr. Brian Mushimba stated that government would enact laws to curb the increasing peddling of fake news on social media. Dr. Brian Mushimba was quoted saying “Government was concerned with the rising level of fake news by some sections of society and that the only way to curb it was to put in place stringent measures”. The Minister added that necessary laws would be effected before the end of the year 2019 so as to bring sanity to the online platforms. The sentiments by Dr. Mushimba came after Father Teddy Musonda of Kizito Parish in Kabwe appealed to the government to come up with laws to curb falsehoods on social media as a result of some sections of society expressing concern at what they referred to as an “alarming level at which falsehoods were being peddled in Zambia”. The Catholic Priest was also quoted saying that it was prudent that a law be put in place in order to stop the lawlessness. He added that the falsehoods being peddled could plunge the country into chaos hence the need to find ways and means of curbing it. Some people however, feel that the regulation of the online spaces is a way for government to curtail free expression especially that the mainstream media in Zambia is heavily controlled by the ownership structure. For example, public media is controlled by government and private media is controlled by ownership models that have a huge influence on the editorial independence of the media organisation. 7