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 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
 WorldCat |
| Title: | Media in 'Democratic' Zambia: Problems and Prospects |
| Author: | Phiri, Isaac |
| Year: | 1999 |
| Periodical: | Africa Today |
| Volume: | 46 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Pages: | 53-65 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Zambia |
| Subjects: | political systems freedom of the press Literature, Mass Media and the Press Politics and Government |
| External link: | http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/africa_today/v046/46.2phiri.html |
| Abstract: | Zambia's transition to multiparty politics in 1991 has not led to significant changes in State-media relations. There was a brief period (just before and soon after 1991) when it appeared that the media would become an independent influence in a democratic environment. However, any movement in that direction has been thwarted by continued State control of the country's two major dailies and the national broadcasting establishment. The small independent media are weak due to a hostile political and legal environment and severe economic conditions. The ability of 'The Post', the only independent newspaper that has weathered the economic and political difficulties relatively well, to contribute effectively to democratic discourse is constrained by the newspaper's failure to rise above the mediocrity of partisan politics. The author proposes that the predicament of the media in Zambia is best redressed by the cooperative effort of civil society organizations. These groups can exert pressure on the State to loosen its grip on the State-owned media and can monitor the independent media and caution it against unprofessional conduct. Bibliogr., sum. |
