STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBA such good laws, while they have been crafted with good intention, end up being abused by the powers that be. The media space thus far being enjoyed on social media platforms could greatly be threatened, if not completely cramped upon by such laws. If indeed, it comes to pass, it will be interesting to see how it is implemented. Ultimately, it is always in the interest of the journalism profession to self-regulate whilst exercising maximum responsibility and accountability in their in the practice of the profession. Within the quarter, the Commission of Inquiry to probe voting patterns and electoral violence began its sittings on the Copperbelt province, in Kitwe and members of the public were invited to make submissions to it. One of the outstanding submissions indicted the media as having been partly responsible for the violence that characterised the 2016 general elections. Making submissions before the commission, Anti-Voter Apathy Copperbelt provincial Coordinator Poster Jumbe noted that, “the media contributed to the violence experienced in the run-up to the 2016 general elections because they did not cover all political parties fairly.” He said this kind of media biased coverage was dangerous to democracy because it promotes hatred and tribal talk. He observed that some media houses chose to attack leaders of certain political parties and spared others even when they did something wrong. Further, he submitted that social media was and is still fuelling division in the country and that if left unchecked, it may put the country on fire.7 These are genuine concerns from Mr. Jumbe and others in society will agree that the media polarisation that has come to characterise the media landscape in the recent past is not healthy for a functional democratic state. Much as it is the liberty of every media to choose to cover any subject in a way they deem fit and professional, it is important for the media to be cognizant of the huge role and influence it has over the affairs of any given society within which it operates. Several MISA Zambia State of the Media Reports throughout 2016 did raise the challenge of deepening media polarisation and raised the alarm that if not curtailed in one way or another, the consequences would be broad and cross 7 Zambia Daily Mail, 1st June 2017 13 | P a g e