STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA he was a tolerant leader who had on many occasions been on the receiving end of insults, but would not tolerate the media to cause disorder in the country. “Being insulted is the price we pay for being leaders but we cannot allow anyone to break the peace of this nation that has been united since independence. So irresponsible media cannot be tolerated. I will not stand back if you want to bring chaos in the nation. The President made the remarks after Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) President, Nkole Chishimba alleged that government was “heavy handed on the media by suspending Prime TV.” This was after a delegation of 16 officials from ZCTU visited President Lungu to share with him their concerns and advise on various national issues. President Lungu said the IBA acted within the law. He noted that peace was easily destroyed but it took generations to restore it. Meanwhile, the following day the 22th March 2019, The Daily Mail Newspaper Publication carried a headline, “Kasolo Won’t Take Any More Jokes.” The paper reported that: Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Board Chairperson Chanda Kasolo says Prime Television’s broadcasting licence suspension will be extended if the institution fails to meet the requirements. IBA suspended the broadcasting licence for Prime TV for 30 days on March 4 th because the station was unethical in its news and other programming. Mr Kasolo said the IBA law (is not a joke and all media houses should learn a lesson from Prime TV.” “We will now be very stringent. We will not allow insulting of the Head of state. Here is an instruction. If anything, we have been lenient on Prime TV. This is the last time ever,” Mr Kasolo said. He said the suspension will be extended if the demands of IBA are not fully met. Mr Kasolo said IBA is committed to applying the law fairly. In response, Prime TV Director Gerald Shawa was quoted saying that the station had adhered to the demands of IBA. “We held the retraining of our staff through Zambia Institute of Mass Communication and even invited IBA to come and teach our staff on ethics and balancing of stories,” Mr Shawa said. 25