The Historicity of Media Regulation in Zambia; Examining the Proposed Statutory Self-Regulation

Abstract

The media in Zambia have been in a state of uncertainty since Zambia reinstated democratic governance in the early 1990s. Despite promising initial steps to deregulate the media that started under President Chiluba's government in the mid-1990s, achieving these objectives in successive years has proved difficult. Successive governments have exhibited increasing aversion towards free and independent media, instead increasing efforts to regulate. This is significant, because comparisons with Kaunda's autocratic era before 1991 cast the state in a friendlier light towards the media, defying normative theories. After both the Media Ethics Council of Zambia and Zambia Media Ethics Council (ZAMEC) failed as self-regulatory mechanisms in the mid to late 2000s, current state efforts have turned to create a hybrid statutory self-regulatory framework. This is a challenge because Zambia's democracy has come under pressure from increasing political intolerance. Furthermore, while media professionals support the idea of regulation to strengthen professionalism, they often disagree on the value of statutory self-regulation and its implications. This study used the In-Depth Interview approach on 23 media professionals and documentary analysis to sketch the history and future implications of media regulation efforts in Zambia. Results show a checkered past but present an even more complicated future. The history of the Independent Broadcasting Authority shows that the proposed statutory self-regulatory framework presents more challenges to the media than ever before. This paper aims to contribute to global media studies and specifically the problems of regulation, the state, and media freedom in an African context.

Understanding the Effects of Politicizing Media Operations: A Study of the Patriotic Front Regime (2011–2021)

“…The country now has over 200 media houses spread across the nation. However, this growth in the media has not fully translated into a free media operating environment (Ndawana, 2021).…”

“…In 2002, the ZNBC Amendment Act and the Independent Broadcasting Authority Act were created to establish independent press freedom regulations. Unfortunately, they could not be implemented as the issue was not resolved in the courts as of 2005 (Ndawana, 2021). In 2012, a year after the Patriotic Front party was elected to power under the leadership of the late President Michael Sata, who promised to improve the country's media freedom to enable media operations, the government's agenda on media was said to ensure that the media continue to challenge the government to serve the people of Zambia better.…”