STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBA Steps need to be taken to ensure that the rule of law is maintained and the state must be the guarantor of it. The state cannot be seen to be abrogating this status quo no matter the apprehensions or fears it is confronted with. There is simply no excuse for trampling on freedom of expression and freedom of the press. As rightfully noted by one observer, “…the media continued to operate in very difficult circumstances because of being monitored and threatened by the state. Some journalists have ended up being blacklisted from attending events based on which party or organisation has organised the event…”xx Surely, should it get to this level? The nation needs every available voice and eye and ear now to help forge good development plan to move it forward. Segregation of stakeholders based on association will not help but only go to exacerbate the malaise that the nation is going through. Critical voices are as equally important as are other voices for they all contribute to the building and wellbeing of the nation. The incidences and evidence gathered and presented in this report therefore, continues to represent an ever increasingly worrying trend of the recent political environment in which the media has been operating. It represents an agonisingly intimidating environment within which some of the private and independent media are having to operate. Observers and press freedom activists alike have continually registered great concern at the happenings in the quarter as they do not bode well for the continued growth and flourishing of the media sector in the country. These actions ultimately take away from the achievements recorded thus far in the promotion of a free, plural and diverse media landscape vital for a young and fledgling democracy such as Zambia’s. The extreme levels of political intolerance in this quarter have been at an all-time unacceptably high. Most of those interviewed expressed apprehension that the political environment was deteriorating rather than improving. Unfortunately, a lack of political will to implement the necessary reforms to improve the situation means it could get worse before or if it ever gets better in future. In the meantime, the struggle for media freedom continues. The struggle is real as evidence shows from the period under review. Further, MISA Zambia continues to advocate for major law reforms including amendments or repealing of such inimical pieces of legislation to the full enjoyment of press freedom and freedom of expression continue. This includes the penal code provisions of the prohibited publications (Sec 53), Defamation of the President (Sec. 69), seditious practices (Sec. 60), Obscenity (Sec. 177) as well as other wider provisions such as the State Security Act (Cap. 111) as well as the Public Order Act (Cap. 113). 19 | P a g e