Misa Zambia E-Newsletter Last Quarter 2008 2

PROMOTING MEDIA FREEDOM IN ZAMBIA

October 1 to December 31st 2008

Government paying lip service to community radio stations

h e C o m m i t t e e o n TI n f o r m a t i o n a n d Broadcasting of the National Assembly for the Second

thSession of the 10 National Assembly of Zambia has observed that the Government is paying lip service to the facilitation and development of community radio stations in Zambia.

In a report adopted by Parliament on 13 November 2008, the Committee stated that apart from the statement,and the media policy of 1996 that spells out one of the goals to achieve countrywide coverage by radio and television by the year 2005, including the provision of community radio stations, Government has not done much in practical terms to develop a c lear cu t -pol icy on the development and management of community and commercial radios.

The Committee observes that even when government has established a Media Revolving Fund, they do not spell out who qualifies for it and how it will be operationalised.

“The modus operandi of the proposed Media Fund, as espoused in the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP), must be clearly spelt out and an independent body rather that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services (MIBS), should be instituted to manage and adminis te r i t , ” the committee recommends.

The Committee also noted tha t the dua l l i cens ing procedure where an applicant has to sat isfy both the Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ) and MIBS and pay separate fees to both, is not only cumbersome but also expensive.

“The licensing process should be streamlined and made

into a one stop shop to reduce costs and time,” the committee recommended.

The Committee further observed that in terms of license fees, community radio stations were made to pay the same fees as commercial broadcasters and yet they were not expected to make profit.

“ O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , commercial s ta t ions are competing for the same clientele with community radios who can afford to lower their tar iffs s ince there overheads are minimal,” the Committee stated.

T h e C o m m i t t e e a l s o observed that Government has deliberately held on to the licensing function by refusing o r b e i n g r e l u c t a n t t o operationalise the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) , whose responsibility it should be to determine who gets which license.

It has since recommended that MIBS and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) should not be part of the licensing process and that there was need for Government to establish and operationalise t h e I B A t o r e g u l a t e broadcasting so that the Ministry can concentrate on policy formulation and not regulation.

T h e C o m m i t t e e a l s o observed that where as other community radio stations have boards, those established by religious organizations do not have advisory boards and even where they exist, and they are restricted to the clergy and are not representative of the local people.

“Religious organizations administering and operating community radios should be compel led to cons t i tu te advisory boards not just from the clergy but also from the loca l members of the i r

organizations,” the Committee recommended.

Other recommendations include the need for the government to zero rate or exempt community radio stations or would be investors from duty on radio and related broadcasting equipment in order to live true to the goal of facilitating and promoting the establishment of community radios and the need to ensure that community radio stations are not charged economic license fees compared to those cha rged to commerc i a l licensees.

T h e C o m m i t t e e a l s o recommends that community

radio stations should not f u r t h e r e x p a n d t h e i r coverage radius in order to better serve the community.

“Expansion of coverage area should be left to commercial radios,” the Committee noted.

On 14 April 2008 MISA Zambia Chairperson Henry Kabwe submitted a report on the “ Governance and Role of Community radio stations i n t h e p ro m o t i o n o f Community aspirations and national programmes ,” before the Committee discussed several challenges faced by the community radio sector in Zambia.

By Brian Lingela

he Media Institute of Southern Africa,MISA Zambia held a Tstrategic planning workshop at Fringila Lodge in Chisamba between 20-23, October 2008.

The workshop was preceded by the induction seminar for the new National Governing Council (NGC) members who had just

thbeen voted into office at the 12 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lusaka in September.

The participants at the workshop included members of staff of the MISA Zambia Secretariat, members of the NGC, stakeholders from the electronic and print media, trustees - John Mwanakatwe

and Masautso Phiri, and members of staff from head office,

M I S A Z a m b i a l o o k s strategically into the future

continued on page 6

MISA Zambia Chairperson Henry Kabwe handing overpublications to Information Minister Lt. Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha

By Nshamba Muzungu

Contents A word from the Chairperson

MISA-Zambia is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting media freedom and diversity in Zambia. It is the Zambian chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), based in Windhoek, Namibia. MISA was established in September 1992 with the aim of promoting free, independent and pluralistic media as envisaged in the 1991 Windhoek Declaration [www.misanet.org].

It has 10 other chapters in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region, namely: Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa.

MISA News is a quarterly publication of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Zambia chapter. Articles in MISA News do not necessarily represent the views of MISA Zambia. Contributions and comments should be addressed to:

Information/Research OfficerMISA ZambiaPlot 3814, Martin Mwamba RdOlympia ParkP.O.Box 32295, LusakaTel: 292096 Telefax: 292096E - mail: [email protected]

PROMOTING MEDIA FREEDOM IN ZAMBIAPAGE 2 MISA News


Government attempts to muzzle the media

Irish Aid pleased with community radio good governance project

Radio Mphangwe to hit the airwaves soon

MISA Zambia holds 12th AGM

Fackson Banda wins 2008 MISA Media Freedom Award

Zamcom holds first graduation ceremony

Zambian government on digital broadcasting

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Civil society joins media bodies in rejecting statutory regulation

MISA Zambia, media bodies mourn Mwanawasa

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his is the first edition of the newsletter in 2009 and as you will notice, it is also Treaching you electronically. There are quite a number of things to reflect upon last year for us to form

ways to reaching out in 2009 and beyond.After the Annual General Meeting that saw a new National Governing

Council (NGC) being put in place, we quickly focused on the issues at hand which included media law reforms . However, our hope was dampened when President Levy Mwanawasa died in Paris France last year.

The death of Dr Mwanawasa left us with a number of challenges because we saw the most polarised coverage in the history of Zambia’s presidential elections.

Powerful media houses took positions and this prompted parliamentarians to advocate for statutory regulation of the media after the elections were over.

As media bodies, we said ‘No’ to that and our word was so strong that it shaped the way forward for the National Constitution Conference (NCC) to adopt most of the provisions in the draft constitution.

Of particular concern during the election was the rise in media violations media personnel from both the State and private media institutions.

Politicians’ threats instigated their cadres to pounce on unsuspecting journalists who were beaten and hauled with all sorts of derogatory words.

Now that the elections fever is over, there is need for continuity towards media law reforms as promised by the late Zambian President Dr Mwanawasa and we hope that this will be achieved under President Rupiah Bwezani Banda. It is time for law makers to enact laws with the right objectives.

Having constituted the NGC at national level, we had to pick on what we promised our members to ensure that the needs of the association were adequately met.

By then, a number of community radio stations had received management training, which, I am sure, is adding value to the running and sustainability of the conveyers of information and education in the most deprived areas.

To ensure that goals are scored in running these programmes, a monitoring and evaluation framework has been developed.

Time has come for us to do things that work for the media as opposed to hitting wrong targets that may not translate into positive results.

That is why we have resolved to ensure we engage government in advocating for change in the media law regime in the nation at a time when the National Constitution Conference (NCC) is crafting the most important law of the land – the Constitution.

As rightly observed by the MPs from the Information and Broadcasting Committee, we cannot continue relying on lip service for community radio development and, I think, other sectors of the media.

We need to see the implementation of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Amendment Acts.

If lip service continues to appease our souls for the coming months, then we can as well forget about having a well established media landscape once the adopted provisions in the new constitution take effect.

We cannot but wait for the day when the executive powers, that are mandated to implement laws, did budget and provided for the independence of the media in Zambia.

The strategic plan to forge the way forward for the association that was promised is now almost done.

I take this opportunity to encourage those that have been discouraged from being part of the governance of MISA Zambia to reconsider their stance. I also wish to challenge the female members of MISA Zambia to rise up to the occassion and take up the governance of the organisation by vying for positions on the National Governing Council (NGC) of MISA Zambia. MISA Zambia has a deliberate policy of gender equality and I encourage all the female members of MISA Zambia to participate in the governance of their organisation.

Finally, in the spirit of carrying our organisation forward, MISA Zambia undertook strategic planning to ensure that our organisation is addressing the issues obtaining on the ground. The process included a workshop, visits to most of our members to ensure that needs were collected and prioritised in the strategic plan.

I wish to congratulation Radio Mphangwe in Katete for hitting the airwaves. I am waiting to hear more of such good news from Mpulungu, Kasempa and Nampundwe soon.

It is time to move into action. God bless you.

Report on the NCC 5

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Newsletter layout by Nshamba Muzungu

Editorial TeamFanwell ChemboBrian Muletambo LingelaJane Chirwa Da SilvaNshamba Muzungu

PROMOTING MEDIA FREEDOM IN ZAMBIA MISA News PAGE 3


By Nshamba Muzungu

edia associations in MZambia are dismayed by government’s attempts to ban l ive phone –in poli t ical programmes on community radio stations in the country.

In a joint communiqué released after a consultative meeting held on 23 September 2008, at the MISA Zambia secretariat in Lusaka, media bodies resolved that al l community and commercial radio stations should ignore the advice from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting but would instead continue with normal programming.

MISA Zambia chairperson, Henry Kabwe, said that the directive by the government not only violates media freedom and freedom of expression but described the move as a desperate attempt by the government to muzzle the media in the run up to the October 30 pres ident ia l elections.

“During times of elections, the media have a duty to provide equal access to all contending political parties so that they sell the i r mani fes tos to the electorate. Radio stations also have the duty to facilitate interaction between aspiring political parties and the citizenry and live phone-in programmes are their lifeblood as long as this is done inline with the Electoral Code of Conduct,” Kabwe said.

Kabwe urged the Ministry o f I n f o r m a t i o n a n d Broadcas t ing Permanen t Secretary, Emmanuel Nyirenda, to rescind his decision because the radio programmes as they served as an important source of information in most rural areas where the signals of the Zambia N a t i o n a l B r o a d c a s t i n g Corporation, ZNBC radio do not reach.

He said the move to ban live phone-in programmes was undemocratic and violates media freedom and freedom of expression, adding that this trend by the Ministry was worrying as it was not the first time that government was attempting to stop live-phone in programmes.

Kabwe cited the run up to the September 28, 2006 president ial and general elections when the police visited Radio Q FM in an attempt to stop the station from providing live coverage of the election events and in 2007 when Radio Explorers in Petauke was threatened with revocation of the licence for featuring an opposition political party leader.

The MISA chairperson reminded community and commercial radio stations to adhere to the Electoral (Code of Conduct) Regulations which required that they provide fair and balanced reporting of the campaigns, policies, meetings, rallies and press conferences of all registered political parties during the period of the campaigns.

The Media bodies that met at the MISA secretariat resolved that radio stations should ignore the advice rendered by the Ministry of Information not to run live phone – in programmes.

The media bodies included the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Zambia, Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), the Press Freedom Committee of the Post (PFC), Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA), Zambia Union of J o u r n a l i s t s ( Z U J ) , t h e Commonwealth Press Union-Zambian Chapter and the Southern Africa Editors Forum –Zambian Chapter.

The media bodies resolved that a l l community and commercial radio stations should operate within the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act, as well as Electoral Code of Conduct.

They further resolved that t h e Z a m b i a N a t i o n a l Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) should operate within the provisions of the ZNBC (Amendment) Act of 2002.

The media associations advised the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services to desist from issuing statements that threaten to undermine media freedom and the freedom of expression of citizens.

Additionally, the media bodies urged the Minister of

Government attempts to muzzle media Information and Broadcasting Services to implement the IBA Act of 2002 and the ZNBC Act of 2002.

On September 12, 2008, Ministry of Information and B r o a d c a s t i n g S e r v i c e s P e r m a n e n t S e c r e t a r y Emmanuel Nyirenda advised all commercial and community radio stations to desist from live phone-in programmes.

In a letter addressed to station managers, Nyirenda stated that some radio stations w e r e h a v i n g p o l i t i c a l programmes, which provided u n b a l a n c e d a n d u n f a i r coverage to political parties during election campaigns.

“ It has been observed that some radio stations have political programmes which provide unbalanced and, in some cases, unfair coverage to political parties during election

campaigns,” the letter read.Nyirenda said that the

programmes could be used by some parties to trade insults and accusations, which could not be rebutted, adding that ideally phone-in programmes needed to be handled with the use of special technology to facilitate the screening of calls.

“ In order to avoid unnecessary complaints, c o n f l i c t a n d misunderstandings, I wish to advise that you desist from such programmes and only carry political programmes in accordance with the Electoral Commission of Zambia regulations which demand that you give balanced coverage,” the letter read in part.

n 7 November, 2008, the OM e d i a I n s t i t u t e o f Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia expressed great concern over increased incidents of media freedom v i o l a t i o n s , t h r e a t s a n d harassment witnessed during the presidential elections of 30 October 2008.

In a post election statement on media coverage, MISA Zambia expressed concern over the sharp rise in the number of media violations recorded during the elections period.

The violations included physical harassment, threats of legal suits, ejections from venues of political events such as rallies, threats to close down media institutions and orders to s top l ive broadcasts or publishing of particular stories either by order or through the courts of law.

During the pre- and post-election period, between September and November

2 0 0 8 , M I S A Z a m b i a recorded and reported 16 media freedom violations compared to six between January and August 2008.

M I S A Z a m b i a Chairperson, Henry Kabwe, condemned the harassment of journalists describing the act as a hindrance to the free flow of information which he said would consequently affect the development of the country’s democracy and good governance.

Kabwe said that the media had an important role to play during times of elections by ensuring that the electorate had access to balanced information on contending political parties in order for them to make informed decisions.

He called on the police, government and leaders of political parties to take n e c e s s a r y s t e p s t o understand the role of the media especially during

Increased attacks on media during elections worry

MISA Zambia By Nshamba Muzungu

continued on page 4



Newspaper if his party won the elections.

The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) in its report on t h e m o n i t o r i n g o f t h e presidential election observed that the conduct of some of the private and public media institutions infringed the provisions of both the Electoral ( C o d e o f C o n d u c t ) Regulations and the SADC Principles and Guidelines g o v e r n i n g d e m o c r a t i c elections.

LAZ president, Elijah Banda, said at a press briefing that it was apparent that some media houses, both private and public , had a preferred candidate of choice and accorded favourable and unbalanced coverage in favour of such candidates to the detriment of others.

“We note that the absence of effective sanctions was a

elections. Kabwe also appealed to the media to adhere to the Electoral Act and Electoral Code of Conduct during elections by providing fair, e q u i t a b l e a n d b a l a n c e d coverage to all contesting candidates.

“MISA Zambia makes this a p p e a l i n t h e v i e w o f polarisation between the public a n d p r i v a t e m e d i a t h a t characterised the just ended electoral period. The private print media appeared to have been skewed towards the opposition parties in i ts coverage while the state owned did the exact opposite by supporting the ruling MMD party,” Kabwe stated

He, however, commended the media for soldiering on despite so many challenges during the period.

One notable media freedom violation was when Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, Permanent Secretary, Emmanuel Nyirenda, on September 12, 2008 ordered all community and private radio stations to desist from live phone-in programmes. In his view phone-in programmes were used by some political parties to engage in insults and accusations which could not be rebutted.

Another instance was when Muvi TV and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) reporters and camera-persons were assaulted and pelted by ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) cadres who undertook a solidarity march in favour of their Presidential candidate Rupiah Banda in Lusaka.

The government owned Zambia Daily Mail, on August 29, 2008 also had its reporters threatened with dismissal if they did not publish articles by Mbita Chitala, a former ambassador to Libya and a member of the MMD campaign team.

In addition, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services and government spokesperson, Mike Mulogoti also threatened to “sort out” the p r i v a t e l y o w n e d P o s t

catalyst to this unacceptable state of affairs. We propose the amendment of the Electoral (Code of Conduct) Regulations in this regard,” Banda said.

Meanwhile, some civil society organisations expressed dismay at some political parties that had resorted to threats and harassment of journalists.

In a joint report on the October 30, 2008 election, the organisations bemoaned the harassment of journalists who were either accused of biases or negative coverage by the political parties.

They cited the MMD, at a campaign rally at Freedom Square in Lusaka on Saturday, October 19, 2008 at which it was r epo r t ed t ha t t he pa r ty threatened to close the privately owned Muvi TV because of what they termed “biased reporting” and PF cadres also threatened to sort out journalists from the public media for

Increased attacks on media during elections worry MISA Zambia

Continued from Page 3

alleged biased coverage of their candidate.

T h e c i v i l s o c i e t y organisations included the Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP), Southern Africa Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes ( S A C C O R D ) , Z a m b i a National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) and the Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP).

The organisations also bemoaned the manner of reporting by some media houses stating that there was polarisation in the way i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e presidential candidates was presented.


From left to right: Judith Kankuli, Andrew Bowden and Irish Aid Head of Development Cunningham at MISA Zambia secretariat

Gerry

Irish Aid in Zambia has expresed satisfaction with MISA Zambia’s i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e community radio and good governance project that was launched in 2007.

Speaking after MISA Zambia Radio and Good Governance Project Officer, Chanda Mfula presented a report at a joint partnership biannual review meeting, Irish Embassy Head of Development, Gerry Cunningham

said his organisation was p l e a s e d w i t h t h e implementation of the project.

MISA Zambia and Irish Aid held the joint partnership biannual meeting on August 26, 2008 to assess progress

By Brian Lingela

continued on page 7



By Brian Lingela

a d i o M p h a n g w e , a Rcommunity radio initiative in Katete, in the Eastern Province, is set to start operations following the purchase of a building for the station by the Media Trust Fund (MTF).

In an interview in Katete, M p a n g w e r a d i o s t a t i o n manager, Dickson Phiri said the building to house the station was acquired at a cost of K40 million.

He explained that the lack of a building to house the radio station made it difficult for it to seek assistance from the community because they had not seen anything on the ground.

“The lack of a building is what has delayed us. We are n o w j u s t w a i t i n g f o r technicians to come, if all goes well, we should be testing by September,” he said.

The station will broadcast s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i c development programmes in the local Cichewa language

and English language using a 1.5 Kilowatt transmitter which was also provided by the MTF.

Phiri noted that over the past six years he had observed several mistakes made by other established radio stations that his would ensure to avoid.

He explained that Radio M p h a n g w e p l a n n e d t o c o n s t r u c t a l o d g e a n d conference centre as an income generating activity that would help to sustain the station. He said management has already acquired a plot of land at a cost of K860,000 to accommodate

Radio Mphangwe to hit the airwavesthe structures.

“We will need money to survive as a station, and here in Katete it is hard to make money, because of our l o c a t i o n h a s l i m i t e d economic activities. In Kate te , there i s only Mphangwe Motel that has a conference centre,” he said.

The station has been holding its construction permit for about six years, but could not start test broadcasting due to lack of equipment and a building.

REPORT ON THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL C O N F E R E N C E

IntroductionThe NCC was established

by the National Constitution Conference Act No. 19 of 2007 as a forum to examine, debate and adopt proposals for the alteration of the constitution. The Act gave the Conference powers to consider and deliberate the provisions of the

Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission Report and Draft Constitution dated December 29, 2005. The Act also empowers the Conference to add, remove or confirm provis ions of the draf t Constitution.

So far the NCC has held t h r e e m e e t i n g s . F o u r committees of the Conference which include the Human Rights Committee have not yet met to deliberate on their respective mandates.

First MeetingThe first meeting was

convened on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 by the Secretary of the NCC. After the Conference was officially opened by President Levy M w a n a w a s a , t h e N C C proceeded to electing the NCC Chairperson, Vice Chairpersons and Spokesperson. An Interim Committee to formulate the rules and regulations to guide t he p roceed ings o f t he Conference and to set up the committees of the Conference was also established. The first session was then adjourned on Friday, December 21, 2007.

Second MeetingT h e C o n f e r e n c e w a s

convened for the second sitting on Tuesday, January 8, 2008. The main purpose of the second meeting was to consider and adopt the draft rules and regulations to guide the Conference deliberations in an orderly manner. During the same sitting the Conference e lected members to the Discipl inary Commit tee . Members were also requested to indicate the committees in which they preferred to serve, marking their first, second and third preferences.

The NCC Secre ta r ia t informed the Conference that it would assign members to various committees after taking in to cons idera t ion the i r respective preferences and

By Nyambe Muyumbana MISA Zambia representativeto the NCC

advance of the meeting. This engagement could take the form of identifying and targeting 15 members of the Committee to be invited to a lobbying workshop. MISA Zambia and the media organizations in the country stand a better chance of securing media friendly c l a u s e s i n t h e n e w Constitution. This view is supported by the fact that the existing Articles 56 to 61 of the Mung’omba Draf t Constitution are media friendly clauses. The clauses provide for, among others, access to information, freedom of the media, protection for the media practitioner not to disclose source, fair and independent b r o a d c a s t l i c e n s i n g , independence of the public media, and freedom of association.

It is therefore imperative that MISA Zambia embarks upon strategic lobbying so that these clauses are retained the way they are and ensure clear recognition of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) as it obtains i n t he Sou th Af r i can constitution.



Jennifer Mfune and Alick Kawerama.

Official ly opening the workshop, MISA Zambia Chairperson, Henry Kabwe, stated that it was important for the organisation to hold the strategic planning meeting because it was going to help shape the direction of the institution.

Kabwe thanked everyone for the commitment which they demonstrated by taking time off their busy schedules to attend the workshop, saying that showed how committed the members were to the cause of the organisation.

The strategic planning process involved an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of MISA Zambia. Wo r k s h o p p a r t i c i p a n t s reviewed the organisation’s vision and mission statements, set priorities, goals and strategic objectives.

Participants also discussed at length such issues as the global financial crisis and its potential

threat to the media in Zambia, the coverage of campaigns for the presidential election which was set for October 30 in relation to the way media organizations performed in t e r m s o f a d h e r e n c e t o professionalism and code of ethics.

The issue of media coverage of pres ident ia l e lec t ion campaigns was considered

contentious and generated a heated debate among the participants. Most participants expressed strong views that there was need to distinguish between objective and biased reporting and to ensure that media practitioners played a non-partisan role during elections.

Workshop faci l i ta tor, Kamona Mubita, said later in an

interview that it was necessary for MISA Zambia to undertake strategic planning in order for the organization to be focused in carrying out its work and to accomplish its mission successfully.

“MISA still has got a lot of work to do with regard to ensuring that there is freedom of expression and media freedom in the country. If you look at the media law reforms, the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act, the ZNBC (Amendment) Act and the Freedom of Information Bill, they have

not yet been implemented or enacted since 2002,” Mubita said.

He also said that MISA Z a m b i a h a s t h e responsibility of making sure that the media freedom is entrenched in the new constitution to be produced b y t h e N a t i o n a l Constitutional Conference (NCC.)

Mubita added that MISA Z a m b i a h a s a l a r g e m e m b e r s h i p o f b o t h individual and institutional members who are beset by a myriad of problems which was why the organisation has to strategically plan on how i t was going to intervene in order to meet the aspirat ions of i ts members.

The facilitator also said that part of the strategic planning would involve a field survey to find out what problems members faced and what additional services or facilities MISA Zambia could offer them.

Mubita said since 1990 when the country returned to multiparty democracy, and d e s p i t e t h e s e v e r a l recommendations for the media law reforms, the m e d i a m e d i a l e g a l environment had undergone very little change.

By Nshamba Muzungu

ambia has been rated 64th Zon the 2008 global press freedom rankings released by the Freedom House of the United States of America.

According to the Freedom House release, Zambia is ranked 64 out of 195 countries whose status is described as ‘not free’. Out of 48 countries in the sub-Saharan Africa, seven were rated to be ‘free’, 18 countries were ‘partly free’ and 28 countries were ‘not free’.

The seven countries which were rated to be ‘free’ include Mauritius at number one, followed by Ghana, Mali, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa and Namibia. Of the 18 countries rated as ‘partly free’ i n c l u d e B o t s w a n a , M o z a m b i q u e , L e s o t h o , Madagascar, Tanzania and Malawi . Among the 28 countries rated as ‘not free’ fell Zambia , Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia,

ZAMBIA 64TH ON GLOBAL PRESS FREEDOM RANKINGS

Burundi and Liberia.T h e F r e e d o m H o u s e

compi l e s annua l med ia freedom rankings after a critical analysis of the legal and political environment of a particular country.

The legal environment encompasses an examination of the laws and regulations that could influence media content as well as the government’s inclination to use these laws and legal institutions in order to restrict the media’s ability to operate.

Some of the components considered under the Freedom House annual media freedom rankings include the positive i m p a c t o f l e g a l a n d constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression, the potentially negative aspects of security legislation, the penal code and other criminal statutes, penalties for libel and defamation, the existence of and ability to use Freedom of Information legislation, the

independence of the judiciary a n d o f o f f i c i a l m e d i a regulatory bodies, registration requirements for both media outlets and journalists, and the ability of journalists’ groups to operate freely.

Under the category of political environment, the degree of political control over the content of news media is evaluated. Issues examined in this category is made up of the editorial independence of both the state-owned and privately-owned media, access to information and sources, official censorship and self-censorship, the vibrancy of the media, the ability of both foreign and local reporters to cover the news freely and without harassment, and the intimidation of journalists by the state or other actors, including arbitrary detention and imprisonment, violent assaults, and any other threats.

MISA ZAMBIA LOOKS STRATEGICALLY INTO THE FUTUREcontinued from page 1

MISA Zambia Strategic planning workshop participants



By Nshamba Muzungu

he Media Institute of TSouthern Africa (MISA) Zambia last August voted into office its National Governing Council (NGC) for the period 2008 to 2010 following the elections which took place at Garden Motel in Lusaka.

During the elections, Henry Kabwe retained his position as Chairperson while the position of Vice Chairperson was scooped by former Zambia National Broadcast ing Corporat ion (ZNBC) TV personality, Felistus Chipako after they both went through unopposed.

Others who went through unopposed include journalist and media consul tant , Joseph Mkandawire as Chairperson for Print, Mabel Kampamba as Chairperson for Training and Grace Zulu as Chairperson for Finance and Development.

Talent Ngandwe, a freelance journalist, was re-elected as Chairperson for Environment, Nyambe Muyumbana retained his position of Chairperson for Gender and Human Rights while Lucky Sichula scooped the pos i t ion o f Cha i rperson , Parliament and Politics. Mulenga Kabi t i was re-elected as Chairperson for Broadcasting.

Members who will be serving their first year in office are Vice Chairperson Felistus Chipako and Mabel Kampamba of Mission Press as Chairperson for Training.

Mkandawire, Zulu and Kabiti, were co-opted on the

NGC in 2007 to fill positions that were left vacant following the resignation by some NGC members.

The elections, which were conducted by the Foundation for Democratic Process, (FODEP) and monitored by the Anti-Voter Apathy Project, (AVAP) were declared, free and fair.

T h e n e w l y e l e c t e d Chairperson, Kabwe called on all members to fully participate in the activities of the organisation in order to take it forward.

Kabwe expressed happiness at the manner in which the elections and the campaigns were conducted, adding that it was one of the few occasions the organisation had issue based campaigns.

Kabwe pledged to work hard together with other members of the NGC for the next two years, which they would be in the office.

He said that members should start on a new page, focus on bringing new ideas that would be helpful to MISA Zambia and forget about the bickering which had rocked the organisation.

The AGM was preceded by an HIV/AIDS and Gender workshop which was well attended by individual journalists and institutional members from within and outside Lusaka. The workshop was conducted by MISA regional specialist on Gender and HIV/AIDS, Jennifer Mufune.

Mufune challenged women to take a leading role in MISA Zambia by getting involved in media activities if they were to make a difference in the

organisation.She observed that women

were not actively involved in the media and urged them to come out and participate in activities of MISA Zambia.

Mufune said that there was need to devise a strategy of working with gender and women organisations in order to enhance understanding on gender-related issues.

She lamented that women s t i l l remained the most marginalised, adding there was need therefore to level the playing field by encouraging more women to participate.

Mufune u rged MISA Zambia to embrace affirmative action and reserve at least one third of the positions on the NGC for women so that they can easily be integrated.

thMISA Zambia holds its 12 AGM, elects new national governing council

MEMBERSHIP

RENEWAL

NOTICE

MISA ZAMBIA

WEBSITE

NOTICE

This serves to inform all

the MISA Zambia

members that

membership renewal will

commence on April 1,

2009.

The fees are as follows:

Individual K 20, 000

Associate K 10, 000

Institutional K 300, 000

This serves to inform you that the MISA Zambia website was not available since December 27, 2008 due to an attack on the Zamnet server on 27 December, 2008. The website was restored after frantic efforts. However, it has outdated information because the previous website data is yet to be retrieved by Zamnet. Kindly bear with us as we work with Zamnet to address this issue.

Newly elected NGC members pose for a group photo

made towards the implementation of the Community Radio and Good Governance project.

Cunningham noted that strong developmental issues around good governance had been raised in all areas of the project and said, “We will put this as a best practice on issues of corruption and good governance.

At the same meeting Irish Aid Governance Advisor, Andrew Bowden, said he was happy that audience surveys were underway because such surveys would help guide participating radio stations in their respective programming.

He also said his organisation was pleased that gender was being mainstreamed in the production of radio programmes following the training conducted by MISA

Zambia at participating stations.Bowden, however, noted the

n e e d t o c o m p l e t e t h e development of the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) framework.

“The real challenge is ensuring that monitoring of work is sustained and how to measure it, therefore, the M and E framework is a good start,” he said.

Other issues that emerged during the meeting included the need for MISA Zambia to improve the financial monitoring of participating radio stations for them to fol low f inancial regulations.

MISA Zambia National Director, Fanwell Chembo, thanked Irish Aid for the

cont inued support to the organisation. Chembo said the Irish Aid support has gone a long way in contributing to the uplifting of people’s living standards in areas where community radio stat ions operate.

The review meeting was also attended by Irish Aid Governance Programme Assistant, Judith K a n k u l i , M I S A Z a m b i a Broadcasting and Information, Manager, Brian Lingela and Finance Officer, Obert Ng’andu.

The Community Radio and Good Governance project started in 2007 and will run until 2010. The project seeks to contribute to the growth of community radio as a development medium in Zambia.




By Brian Lingela

ackson Banda, a Zambian Fprofessor of journalism and media studies at the Rhodes University in South Africa, was on September 1, 2008 awarded the MISA 2008 media freedom award at a gala dinner held at the Centurion Lake Hotel in Pretoria, South Africa.

Professor Banda was honoured for his contribution to media development in southern Africa and Africa in general through his extensive research, n u m e r o u s r e p o r t s a n d presentations on the media. He has contributed to knowledge on media sustainability, media policy, and new media in southern Africa.

H e h a s c o n t r i b u t e d significantly to the production o f p r o f e s s i o n a l m e d i a personnel through his service at University of Zambia (UNZA) and currently at Rhodes University in South Africa, where he is based.

Professor Banda has written a number of books that include books entitled Newspapers and Magazines in Zambia - A question of Sustainability and Elections and the Press in Zambia - The Case of the 1996 Polls. Both books were commissioned by MISA Zambia.

Under his leadership as Regional Director for Panos Institute Southern Africa, he spearheaded the development of the Zambia Community Media Forum (ZaCoMeF) and facilitated the production of a book that looked at the use of Information Communication Technology (ICTs) entitled Into or Out of the Digital Divide. The book analysed the use of Internet within the SADC region.

His interest in the use of modern technology has enabled him to write and publish on media related issues on the Internet and some of the latest facilities on the Internet.

Professor Banda has not been a stranger to the role MISA has played in promoting media freedom in Zambia. Between 1991 and 2005, he conceptualised, produced and presented various radio and

t e l e v i s i o n i n t e r v i e w programmes, many supported by the Media Institute for

Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia (then the Zambia I n d e p e n d e n t M e d i a Association [ZIMA]).

The programmes, many of them broadcast on the Zambia N a t i o n a l B r o a d c a s t i n g Corporation (ZNBC), became some of the few examples of i n d e p e n d e n t b r o a d c a s t journalism in the country, subjecting politicians and other public figures to the kind of c r i t i c a l q u e s t i o n s t h a t e p i t o m i s e d e n g a g e d citizenship. A particularly n o t e w o r t h y t e l e v i s i o n programme series was Your Constitution, which opened up the country’s Mung’omba C o n s t i t u t i o n a l R e v i e w Commission (CRC) to greater and more informed public critique, including raising questions about media freedom and independence.

Winner of the MISA-Zambia “Overal l Media Freedom” Award for 2007, Banda is one of the few young professors in the Zambian j o u r n a l i s m a n d m e d i a profession.

Between 2000 and 2001, acting as Executive Director of

FACKSON BANDA WINS 2008 MISA MEDIA FREEDOM AWARD

the Panos Institute Southern Africa and in his own right, Professor Banda obtained an

interdict from the High Court of Zambia to stop the Zambia N a t i o n a l B r o a d c a s t i n g Corporation (ZNBC) from curtailing the televising of p a i d - f o r p r e s i d e n t i a l candidates debates.

The ZNBC Direc tor-General at the time was to confirm the presence of political interference in the Corpora t ion ’s dec i s ion . Despite obtaining a court order, the Corporation refused to broadcast the remaining live programme scheduled for transmission on the eve of the 2001 local government , parliamentary and presidential elections. The state deployed the Zambian paramilitary police to enforce this impunity, defying the rule of law. Even though the programme was not broadcast, the very act of obtaining the interdict was contributory towards asserting media freedom.

From August 2004 to 2005, he was co-opted into the Publicity Sub-committee of the C o n s t i t u t i o n R e v i e w Commission appointed by the President of the Republic of Zambia in 2003. His job was to

provide advice to the Commission on how best it could publicise its work, including presenting a live television and radio phone-in programme entitled Your Constitution.

Since 2007, he has been a weekly columnist on media issues on the column – Media Discourse by The Post newspaper of Zambia, a cutting-edge analysis of issues relating to media f r e e d o m , f r e e d o m o f express ion and media development in Zambia.

In his insatiable interest for media responsibility and ethics within the context of media freedom among media houses, Banda became a founding Board member of the Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ), which took over the functions of the MISA-Zambia Independent Media Council and the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) Media Ethics and Complaints Committee (MECC). He was secretary to the Council between 2003 and 2005.

I n v i e w o f h i s distinguished career, Banda was in September, 2006, awarded the prestigious U N E S C O C h a i r i n Communication (media and democracy), the first such academic honour to be given to a Rhodes University staff member. Since then, he has also been sitting on the Editorial Board of the C a n a d i a n J o u r n a l o f Communication, Editorial Board of Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies and Board of Directors of ORBICOM – the network of U N E S C O C h a i r s i n Communication.

In 2007, he was invited as a Thought Leader to blog on political and media freedom issues on the online edition of the Mail & Guardian of South Africa. In the same year, he was commissioned by UNESCO to research and produce a training manual on civic education for media professionals. The manual, soon to be published, will be

Continued on page 10



By Nshamba Muzungu

he Zambia Institute of TMass Communication Educational Trust, (ZAMCOM) held its first graduation ceremony at which a total of 68 s t u d e n t s g r a d u a t e d i n journalism on September 19, 2008.

The graduates who were drawn from the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 intakes were conferred with certificates and diplomas in journalism and public relations and agriculture journalism, respectively. In Zambia, agriculture journalism is taught exclusively by ZAMCOM.

The institution was initially established as an in-house training department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services in 1980. It was transformed into an independent educational trust through the ZAMCOM Act of 1996 to offer professional training.

Officiating at the occasion, Science and Technology M i n i s t e r , P e t e r D a k a commended the institution for the initiative taken by the board and management to undertake full time training in addition to the in-service training.

Daka said that he was confident that the training offered at ZAMCOM would greatly contribute to the improvement of the journalism profession in Zambia.

He said that government was committed to creating an enabling environment for the media to operate freely, i n d e p e n d e n t l y a n d professionally.

The minister said that government had liberalised the airwaves and the media industry and therefore expected various players in the media industry to provide a variety of sources of information and media products in the country.

He said that the emergence of community media was a good indicator of the success of the liberalising of the airwaves and the media in the country.

The minister underscored the role of trained media

personnel in explaining the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals, and Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP).

“The need for quality training in the media cannot be o v e r e m p h a s i s e d a s t h e availability of the adequately trained personnel in the media is imperative to the attainment of the millennium goals in the Fifth National Development Plan,” Daka said.

He said that there was a good linkage between a viable media industry and overall national development.

Daka advised the graduates to uphold media ethics and professionalism and avoid being used by people with ill motives. He urged them to work towards promoting public interest and contributing to Zambia’s development in a positive way.

At the same occasion, Vice Chairperson of the ZAMCOM Board, Flavia Chishimba said that quali ty training of journalists is indispensable because the media played an i m p o r t a n t r o l e i n t h e development of a vibrant democratic and peaceful society.

Ch i sh imba sa id t ha t ZAMCOM would maintain quality training standards and strive to be a leader in offering the most efficient training to journalists and other players in the communication sector in the southern African region.

S h e p l e d g e d t h a t ZAMCOM would continue contributing to the raising of professionalism in the media industry in Zambia, adding that the institution would soon launch an education television station for which a licence had already been granted.

Chish imba , however, appealed to the government to assist the institution in securing a modern transmitter.

The television station will be open to public viewing but wil l be for educational purposes to enhance the standards of learning at the institution

S h e c o m m e n d e d government for its efforts in providing an environment that

Zamcom holds first graduation ceremony

was favourable for people wishing to set up different media organisations.

“We are happy that the government has made the environment welcoming for those who wish to set up different media organisations. We have seen many radio stations, both commercial and community set up in the recent past. We have also seen a lot of newly-launched newspapers and magazines,” she noted.

Ms. Chishimba appealed to the government to assist the institution to secure a m o d e r n t r a n s m i t t e r considering that all other aspects are already in place.

The television station will be open to public viewing but will be for the sole purpose of education in order to enhance the standards of the learning institution.

ender and Media Southern GAfrica (GEMSA) Zambia Chairperson Nelson Banda has called for sustainable financing towards women empowerment and gender equality in Zambia.

Speaking at a cyber and human trafficking workshop as part of the activities for the 16 days of gender activism at ZAMCOM in Lusaka on 25 November, 2008, Banda said that while many countries had e m b r a c e d t h e c a l l t o d e m o n s t r a t e g r e a t e r commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, the implementation of key principles had not received the necessary financial and human resources to ensure that

gender equality and women empowerment took place.

“Evaluat ion of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action u n d e r t a k e n i n 2 0 0 4 (BEIJING+10) showed that, w h i l e m a n y A f r i c a n countries have made efforts to mainstream gender in their policies and plans, the allocation of resources in national budgets has not equally reflected a change in o r i e n t a t i o n a n d t h e differentiated needs of women and men,” he said.

He revealed that a recent research conducted by the

Association of Women’s Rights in Development

Let’s walk the talk on gender issues By Jane Da Silva

continued on pg 12

Journalism graduands at the graduation ceremony



he world is expected to Ts w i t c h t o d i g i t a l broadcasting by 2015, and MISA Zambia Radio and Good Governance Project Officer Chanda Noward Mfula assesses the preparedness of the country to undertake this major step which countries like South Africa have embraced.

Currentlty, Zambians and the broadcasting community a r e u t i l i z i n g a n a l o g u e broadcasting equipment to send and receive visual and audio broadcast signals.

However, the world is changing and soon it will embrace Digital broadcasting t e c h n o l o g y . D i g i t a l broadcasting, according to Wikipedia, is the practice of using digital data rather than analogue waveforms to carry broadcasts over television channels or assigned radio frequency bands.

Digital switchover or “digital migration”, as others prefer to call it, is such a major c h a n g e . A l t h o u g h t h e switchover is global and has a global deadline, each country has set its own deadline for swi t ch ing o ff ana logue transmission completely. In fact some countries including Kenya and South Africa have set their deadlines far earlier than the global deadline of 2015.

As for Zambia, 2015 may seem a long time from now,

but it is not. Given the cost and other implications of the digital switchover, we need to begin working now. It is not just the broadcasters who will be affected by the switchover. Consumers of broadcasting services, in this case, members of the public will be affected too. While broadcast stations will be required to acquire digital-compatible equipment, and transmit through digital transmitters, the viewing public (in case of television, for example) will need to buy digital-compliant television set top boxes or digital boxes that would facilitate receiving of digital signals by analogue system. This is just a tip of the iceberg. What is involved in the

process of digital switchover is a lot.

It seems less convincing, however, to think that Zambia is working at the right pace. To d a t e , t h e m a j o r i t y o f broadcasting stations have insufficient knowledge about the impending switchover. This means that they are not e v e n f a c t o r i n g i n t h e changeover in their strategic focuses though they will have to bear the bulk of the cost. The lack of knowledge on this issue also spill over to the members.

Perhaps we can digress to South Africa and learn how this government has managed to address the issue of digital migration. The Zambian government has set a national deadline of 2012. Early in 2005, the South African government constituted a work group that included experts from the broadcast industry and other stakeholders such as civil society, consumer groups, and many others. This work group was mandated to assist the government in creating a

The Zambian Government on Digital Broadcasting digital agenda. A year later, the work group produced a 153-page report and today South Africa has gone digital and are in a phase known as “dual i l luminat ion” in which broadcasters are transmitting in both analogue and digital to allow households (the public) to migrate gradually and cost-e f f e c t i v e l y t o d i g i t a l broadcasting until the deadline of 2012 when analogue will be switched off completely. The preparations and sensitization in this regard started earlier.

After illustrating the progress recorded by South Africa and what strategy that country put in place, lets now delve back to Zambia. So far government has not yet set a deadline, if it has then the date was not well publicized. Coming to the consumers, the ministry is not disseminating information to prepare the public on what changes and adjustments they would face and have to make.

This shows that the flow of information from the Ministry

o f I n f o r m a t i o n a n d Broadcasting Services has been inadequate. One hopes for better implementation of and better plans for phasing out analogue broadcasting in Zambia and not the haphazard way we have handled things in the past were even laws such as the IBA and ZNBC Acts have been partially implemented. For instance only the aspect of TV licence has so far been implemented while ZNBC has not been transformed into a national broadcaster – putting the cart before the horse so to speak.

This scenario regarding digitalization may explain why a country whose television started earlier than South Africa lags shamefully far behind the latter. The government must realize that the information society is the fulcrum of all development in the modern world. There is need for the nation to know more, and now, about the digital migration.

FACKSON BANDA WINS 2008 MISA MEDIA FREEDOM AWARD

used in t e r t i a ry media educational institutions that are interested in raising the skills profile of civic journalists. There is a strong element of media freedom as a human right in the document.

Between 2006 and 2008, Professor Banda led efforts under the auspices of the BBC World Service Trust and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to develop a comprehensive African media development framework. This work has resulted in a coherent and comprehensive framework within which to argue for African media development. It has also become a recognised framework by many journalists, largely through his appearances and presentations at high-profile gatherings, including the May 3, 2008 celebrations in Maputo, Mozambique, where he formally tabled the framework for media development. Encapsulated in this framework is a strong

component on media freedom and independence.

Recently, in 2008, Professor Banda was invited as consultant to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on African media d e v e l o p m e n t i s s u e s t h a t incorporate the notion of African

media development support mechanisms for media freedom and independence.

In the same year, he was i n d u c t e d i n t o H o n o r a r y Membership of the Golden Key International Honour Society at Rhodes University, South Africa in recognition of excellence in teaching and other contributions to media. Other notable Honorary Members of this student-led society, whose membership is drawn from the top 15% high-achieving students, include such distinguished figures as Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut, Bill Cosby, world-renowned entertainer, the Most Reverend Desmond M. Tutu, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, and the late Ronald W. Reagan, former President of the United States.

Prof Banda was been invited to sit on the UNESCO International Team of Experts on Media and Information Literacy. As such, he chaired a session of the experts’ inaugural workshop in Paris in July 2008. This is an on-going commitment.

He has also presented several academic and professional papers on media and communication.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chairperson, Henry Kabwe, has been elected to serve as a member of the MISA regional executive committee.

Others who have been elected to the four person c o m m i t t e e i n c l u d e Lomcebo Ndlamini of Swaziland as Chairperson, Laughty Dube of Zimbabwe as Vice Chairperson and South Afr ica’s Noma Rangama as member.

T h e e x e c u t i v e committee is responsible for ensuring that MISA policy matters were implemented and is elected from within the Regional Governing Council . I t comprises chapter chairpersons.

Kabwe said that his election to the committee was an honour for Zambia and an opportunity to ensure that Zambia’s agenda of media law reforms was addressed at a higher level.

K a b w e J o i n s R e g i o n a l Executive Committee



ivil society organisations Cpledge full support for the advocacy by media bodies against statutory regulation.T h e t w o c i v i l s o c i e t y organisations are Transparency International Zambia, (TIZ) and the Foundation for Democratic Process, (FODEP).

Speaking at a press briefing called by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), the Press Freedom Committee of the Post (PFC), Zambia Media Women A s s o c i a t i o n ( Z A M WA ) , Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ), the Media Council of Zambia and Press Freedom Committee of The Post, TIZ Executive Director, Goodwell L u n g u , s t a t e d t h a t h i s organisation stood in solidarity with media bodies on the fight against statutory regulation because there was no way a country could move forward d e m o c r a t i c a l l y w i t h o u t freedom of the press.

Lungu said that it was unfortunate that parliament which had a huge task of moving the country forward d e m o c r a t i c a l l y w a s concentrating on trying to suffocate the freedom of the media.

H e s a i d t h a t i t w a s u n w a r r a n t e d f o r t h e government and some members of parliament to be calling for statutory regulation because their decision was not based on facts but on emotions.

L u n g u c a l l e d o n p a r l i a m e n t a r i a n s t o immediately withdraw their decision to have the media regulated by a statutory body and instead set the right precedent by enacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill.

FODEP’s representative, McDonald Chipenzi, said that democracy could only flourish if citizens were well informed and were willing to use their right and freedom of expression to participate in the affairs of the country by adding their voices to public debates through the media.

“The Founda t ion fo r Democratic Process believes

that a healthy democratic society is not simply an arena in which individuals pursue their own personal goals but one in which information sharing is the order of the day,” Chipenzi said.

Chipenzi said that the media had made a significant contribution to Zambia’s electoral process and had represented a key dimension t o w a r d s d e m o c r a t i c consolidation in the country.

“It is for this reason that FODEP, as an organisation which has been monitoring the elections since the return to multi-party politics in the country in 1990, believes that t h e f a c i l i t a t i o n o f t h e independent press in the c o u n t r y e n h a n c e s t h e credibility, confidence and legitimacy of the electoral process,” Chipenzi observed.

He called on policy makers to respect the role of the media and facilitate an environment in which journalists are able to perform their noble duties without hindrance or fear. He also implored journalists to uphold high professional standards in their work.

MISA Zambia Chairperson Henry Kabwe urged the g o v e r n m e n t a n d parliamentarians to rescind their decision to support statutory regulation and thereby allow the media to regulate itself through the Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ). He said in this way the country can continue to be a beacon of true democracy, where divergent views are tolerated and respected as a universal right as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Kabwe said that the views expressed by some of the opposition party members of parliament was an indication that the democracy that the country had fought for was in danger and could be reversed adding that the beginning of dictatorship was exhibited t h r o u g h t e n d e n c i e s o f intolerance to divergent views.

He said that it was regrettable that some parliamentarians had chosen to cond i t ion the enactment of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill to the

statutory regulation of the media.

Kabwe described the development as unfortunate because the FOI was meant to benefit the Zambian people generally while the media was just a small faction of the intended beneficiaries to the FOI Bill which was still pending.

“We therefore, reject these calls and urge the government and progressive members of parliament to rescind their calls because the calls were being made in an emotional manner and subjectively,” Kabwe said.

H e s a i d t h a t t h e recommendations to regulate the media through a statutory body, because of their perceived biased coverage of t h e O c t o b e r 3 0 , 2 0 0 8 presidential election were misplaced. He called on the government to use the

CIVIL SOCIETY JOINS MEDIA BODIES IN REJECTING STATUTORY REGULATIONBy Nshamba Muzungu

available provisions in the Electoral (Code of Conduct) Regulations of 2006 that govern the media conduct during the elections.

Kabwe said the media would not allow emotions to w a s h d o w n Z a m b i a ’s democracy because of minor differences or mistakes in the media. These could be ironed out through dialogue and other established channels for the lodging complaints on the conduct of the media.

He further called on members of parliament and government to instead focus on the urgent need to implement the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the Zambia Nat iona l Broadcas t ing C o r p o r a t i o n ( Z N B C ) (Amendment) Act of 2002.

n November, 2008, MISA IZambia embarked on m a n a g e m e n t t r a i n i n g workshops for community radio stations (CRS) under the Irish Aid funded Radio and Good Governance Project.

The Radio and Good Governance Project aims at enhancing the capacity of community radio stations as a development medium in Zambia.

Topics offered during the training workshops include operational systems, internal controls, financial regulations, administration manuals, role of the board , management functions, compliance, and editorial policy.

The training is a follow-up to the strategic planning workshops that MISA Zambia c o n d u c t e d a t t h e 1 5 participating radio stations in 2007 and 2008. It is targeted at management staff and board members.

The training workshops were conducted by Ben Mukala of the In-Service

Training Trust (ISTT) of Lusaka supported by a team of MISA Zambia secretariat staff.

Workshops were held on site separately for groups of management staff and board members drawn from each of the radio stations. This arrangement helped each station to focus on t r a i n i n g n e e d s a n d challenges peculiar to the station. In the end home grown solutions were also sought.

The first station to receive the training was Petauke Explorers Radio in Petauke.

Opening the training workshop, MISA Zambia National Director, Fanwell Chembo, reiterated the media mother body’s commitment to media freedom in Zambia.

Chembo expressed hope that the training would go a long way in improving the management skills of the staff and the board. He urged the participants to be

By staff reporter

MISA ZAMBIA EMBARKS ON MANAGEMENT

TRAINING FOR RADIO STATIONS

continued on page 12

(AWID) indicates that many women’s organisations were under-funded, experience greater difficulty in accessing funds than in the past, and may require doubling funding they had in the past to do the same work.

Banda said that though Africa as a region seemed more likely to receive funding, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) showed progress only in terms of policy pronouncement while little reflected in terms of the budget allocations for advocacy, education and awareness initiatives.

“Among the reasons that donors give for their gender blindness are efficiency, meaning reaching more people by funding groups for both men and women; democracy by involving organisations that do not promote women exclusivity; efficacy by not targeting women as this is harmful to them,” he said.

Banda added that organisations in Zambia dealing with women’s issues were struggling to get funding to implement their programmes and activities while others may have closed down.

PROMOTING MEDIA FREEDOM IN ZAMBIA


MISA ZAMBIA, MEDIA BODIES MOURN PRESIDENT MWANAWASA

By Nshamba Muzungu

professional and ethical in their work and conduct.

The training workshop at P e t a u k e E x p l o r e r s w a s followed by similar workshops at Chikaya Community Radio in Lundazi, Breeze FM and Radio Maria Zambia in Chipata.

At the end of each workshop, participants observed that the training was invaluable and much appreciated as it offered new

insight in the management of various radio stations. The participants prepared follow-up action plans for key areas that arose during the workshops.

M I S A Z a m b i a h a s scheduled the next round of training workshops for 2009 to be held for radio stations located in Central, Luapula and Northern Provinces.

MISA ZAMBIA EMBARKS ON MANAGEMENT TRAINING FOR RADIO STATIONS

LETS WALK THE TALK ON GENDER ISSUES

edia bodies in Zambia Mhave described President Levy Mwanawasa’s death on August 19, 2008 as a blow to the struggle for media law reforms in Zambia.

The media bodies, which include MISA Zambia, the Press Committee of the Post (PFC) Zambia Union of Journal is ts (ZUJ), Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) and the Zambia Media Women association (ZAMWA) stated that the were saddened by Dr. Mwanawasa’s death.

MISA Zambia Chairperson, Henry Kabwe, said in a statement that his organisation and the media community at large had been robbed of a media friendly President who showed commitment to media law reforms.

“The National Governing Council, NGC and the entire membership of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, MISA Zambia, would like to e x p r e s s t h e i r h e a r t f e l t condolences to the first family and the country on the untimely death of our beloved President, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa SC, who passed away at the Percy Military Hospital in France,” the statement read.

Kabwe sa id tha t the Mwanawasa administration had given the media a number of opportunities to push for media law reforms through the

Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act and the Zambia National Broadcasting C o r p o r a t i o n ( Z N B C ) Amendment Act, both of 2002.

He said that the late Mwanawasa’s announcement on January 11, 2008 that the Freedom of Information Bill would be re-introduced in Parliament and also the ultimate desire to have all the recommendations in the Draft Mung’omba Constitution on the media retained therein, was a c l e a r t e s t i m o n y o f

Mwanawasa’s commitment to media law reforms in Zambia.

The Chairperson said that the late President was a true democrat and demonstrated that he was a true leader who was committed to enhancing democratic dispensation not only in the country but the entire sub-region and the African continent at large.

He said that President Mwanawasa should best be honoured by continuing to build on the good foundation that he had laid.

In paying tribute to Dr. M w a n a w a s a , t h e Chairperson accompanied by members of the National Governing Council and National Director of MISA Zambia laid wreaths on the grave of the late President at E m b a s s y P a r k o n Independence Avenue in Lusaka.

From Left to Right: MISA Director Fanwell Chembo, PAZA vice chairperson Amos Chanda, PFC chairperson Chansa Kabwela, ZUJ secretary general Nigel Mulenga and MISA Chairperson Henry Kabwe laying wreaths on Mwanawasa’s grave at the Embassy Park.

Misa Zambia E-Newsletter Last Quarter 2008 2

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