This constitutes not only a threat to qualitative journalism, but also to freedom of expression. Democracy thrives when a plurality of voices is heard. enhance their capabilities and enrich the media landscape. IBA also announced that it had granted a radio broadcasting licence to the Catholic Churchowned Yusufu Radio Station in Mpika District of Muchinga Province. This brings the number of Catholic owned radio stations in Zambia to 10. (14) Unfortunately, many voices are under attack. It is a pity that journalists become targets for political hooligans, who perceive them to be biased in their coverage. Media Associations for Pure Self-Regulation adopted a code of ethics and a draft constitution that will form part of the self-regulatory mechanism. (15) Gender and the media The media landscape in Zambia is dominated by men with the majority of them in leadership and decision making positions, while the majority of women occupy the lower ranks in newsrooms. The code of ethics and the draft constitution were developed after various consultative meetings held between February and April 2023 with journalists from all the 10 provinces of Zambia. However, in mainstream media organisations, female reporters form the bulk of the staff, while community media are dominated by men. The journalists that attended these meetings opted for the route of self-regulation rejecting the hybrid route which was advocated for previously. Despite being the majority in mainstream media, there is literally a glass ceiling for female journalists, as only a few make it to leadership positions. Safety of journalists This raises the need for affirmative action to bring more female journalists into positions of leadership. Media plays a watchdog role in ensuring access to information and accountability, hence the safety of journalists is paramount. There is need to build the capacity of media institutions on the SADC Gender and Development Protocol (18), which requires balanced sourcing of news between women and men. Journalists facilitate the free flow of information so that citizens are able to make informed decisions. The protocol further calls on media in Southern Africa to take measures to promote equal representation of women in the media at all levels and to give equal voice to women and men in all areas of coverage, as well as discourage the media from depicting women as helpless victims of violence and abuse. Journalists’ safety ensures that they are able to play their critical role of informing and educating citizens without fear or favour. Journalists in Zambia have faced some challenges as they exercise their rights to seek, receive and impart information. If there is one transgression that ranks highly on cases that go unpunished in places of work, it’s sexual harassment, because victims generally suffer quietly. MISA-Zambia notes: “There have also been reports of journalists being denied access to news scenes and their equipment being confiscated, damaged or destroyed, as well as operating under poor working conditions.” (16) The sexual harassment of female journalists may result in the profession being shunned by women. There have also been reports of journalists being denied access to news scenes and their equipment being confiscated, damaged or destroyed, as well as operating under poor working conditions. (17) Media houses should expose sexual harassment against female journalists so that the vice can be curbed. There was an increased number of media violations in 2023 as compared to 2022. In 2022, there were 22 recorded violations while in 2023, the number almost doubled to 41. At an event in 2018, the OSCE representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir pointed out how “the harassment of women journalists has an impact on access to information, representation, access to information and citizen 89 STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023