STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA
appropriate attire should either be dark suits and ties, national dress or any other
formal attire when covering state functions. Any journalist clad in jeans, slacks,
tights, minis, topless attires or any attire inappropriate for the function will be
turned away by security,” Kaluba stated in the memo.
Press Association of Zambia president Andrew Sakala says government should
not use dress code restriction for journalists as a deterrence to cover news.
Sakala told News Diggers! in an interview that the new dress code rules set for all
journalists covering state functions and the President at the airport are strange
because the rationale behind it could not be understood.
“I don‟t think there should be a specific type of dress, but what should be there is
that people should be decently dressed. As a person reporting, I think a person
should be decently-dressed, according to what is acceptable by a news
organisation. And I don‟t see how that should affect coverage of the news
sources. So, if they restrict on the dress code, that‟s very strange.” Sakala said.
But Zambia Union of Broadcasters and other Information Disseminators
(ZUBID) secretary general Andrew Mpandamwike described government‟s
decision as “progressive.”
He said it was important that journalists were "smartly" dressed when coving
state functions.
4.6.2. MISA Engagement Meetings towards improved Media Freedom
During the second quarter, MISA Zambia continued pressing issues of media freedom and media
practitioners‟ safety. Following increased harassment and attack on Journalists, the MISA wrote
letters to seek audience with key government department and those in authority to find amicable
ways of resolving them.

30

Select target paragraph3