Shortly thereafter, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Media, Kennedy Kalunga explained that with the enactment of the Zambia institute of Public Relations and Communications Act No.11 of 2022, the government had paved the way for the media to regulate itself. As reported in the Zambia Monitor, the minister said, “this law empowered public relations and communication practitioners in Zambia to manage their affairs independent of the government”.(8) MEDIA PLURALISM AND DIVERSITY The Zambian media landscape is fairly rich in terms of diversity, with at least 120 privately owned radio stations around the country. The national broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), has three TV channels and three radio stations. The state owns and runs two daily newspapers, the Times of Zambia and the Daily Mail. Two of the most popular and influential newspapers — The News Diggers, Mast and Daily Nation are privately owned. There are 42 privately owned TV channels, including the influential Prime TV, Diamond TV and MUVI Television. Sustainability and viability remain the biggest challenge for this thriving sector. MEDIA INDEPENDENCE The public broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), maintains that it is editorially free and not under the direction of the information ministry, as has regularly been alleged. In the past, the state broadcaster routinely took partisan sides in its political reporting. The jury is still out on whether there has been a significant change since the introduction of the Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema 63