STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA 4.2.2 Attacks The third quarter saw three reports of journalists being attacked and manhandled. In some cases, reporters had their personal belongings grabbed from them while on duty. The quarter opened with a report where sports fans attacked journalists. On October 8 th, The Mast20 reported that three journalists were attacked by soccer fans. The attacks were carried out by some soccer fans in Livingstone against Heinz Nawa Munene and Kelvin Like from Mazabuka Radio and Zambezi FM respectively. The two were also threatened to be burned alive. The other case saw fans manhandling a freelance journalist Dennis Tonga and grabbing his phone after they lost to Choma Stars. Another incident reported in this period involves a journalist who was beaten outside the Kitwe Magistrate court for covering case in which a Kitwe Businessman was appearing before court on allegations of aggravated robbery. Lusaka Times21 reported that sympathisers to Daniel Makina, a Kitwe businessman and Director of Nkana College of Education, who was charged together with another man of aggravated robbery for stealing Copper cathodes, beat up a ZNBC journalist for covering the story. Last week Friday, Makina‟s sympathizers harassed journalists and beat up ZNBC camera man Kashete Sinyangwe. When the matter came up on Monday for a ruling on preliminary inquiry, unruly sympathizers besieged the Kitwe Magistrates grounds, hurled insults and threatened to deal with any journalist who had gone to cover the case. Journalists‟ safety is slowly reducing. Scribes are not respected as before. They are attacked by cadres, politicians and sometimes the general citizenry when they do not want certain information published in the media. 20 21 The Mast – Maramba Stars Fans Attack Journalists, Harass Referee – 8th October, 2018 Lusaka Times – Journalists beaten outside Kitwe Magistrate court – 15th October, 2018 15