• JOURNALISTS marching to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day in Kitwe yesterday. Picture by MOFFAT CHAZINGWA

By REBECCA MUSHOTA, ANDREW PHIRI, KASONDE  KASONDE, JAMES KUNDA and MILDRED KATONGO? –
GOVERNMENT  has warned political cadres to desist from harassing journalists, especially during election periods.
Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili said  Government would not tolerate harassment of journalists from cadres of any political party during the general elections next year.
Mr Kambwili, who is also Chief Government spokesperson, said this during the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day which fell on Sunday but was celebrated yesterday in Lusaka.
“On behalf of Government, I wish to condemn cadres from any political party from Patriotic Front, United Party for National Development, MMD or any political party who harass journalists,” he said.
Mr Kambwili said the media should observe ethics because cadres were sometimes provoked by unethical reporting by some media houses.
He urged media houses, public or private, to pay journalists well because Zambian media practitioners were lowly paid.
Meanwhile, in Lusaka, World Press Freedom Day organising committee chairperson Enock Ngoma said it was rare in both private and public media to see women in top positions.??Mr Ngoma said appointing authorities should give women opportunities to lead media institutions.
The theme for this year was “Media and Gender Equality in Digital Age”.  He said poor salaries, was another factor impeding operations of the media with some private institutions paying as low as K500, while journalists at any level did not have job security as they were fired at will, a situation he said should change.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Janet Rogan said Zambia was ranked 113 out 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, which was disappointing for a peaceful and stable country like Zambia.
In Kitwe, Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) president Andrew Sakala implored journalists to avoid reporting on issues that ignited tribalism.??Mr Sakala said journalists should report issues that affect citizens in their day to day lives and not hate speech.
“My fellow Journalists, be issue-based and focus on issues that affect people in their day-to-day lives, avoid reporting  on issues that will bring divisions in the country,” he said.?Journalists in Zambia yesterday held various activities to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD).
In Livingstone, Information and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Forrie Tembo urged the media to desist from being used as conduits for hate speech and other regionally and tribally inclined statements.
Mr Tembo said irresponsible reporting, if left unchecked had the potential to plunge the country into chaos.
He was speaking in Livingstone yesterday outside the One Stop Shop Centre during the celebrations for this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebrations organised by the Livingstone Press Club.
Speaking at the same gathering, Livingstone Press Club president Brian Hatyoka urged the Government put up measures aimed at protecting journalists from harassment and intimidation.
Mr Hatyoka noted that some journalists were attacked during the exercise of their duty and, therefore, there was need to introduce stiffer punishment to perpetrators of such acts to deter would-be offenders.
He also said digital broadcasting would entail better broadcasting platforms, hence the need for the media to report accurately and objectively in the digital era.
“The public expect better news coverage and better programming in our media houses during the digital era,” he said.
In Kabwe, Central Province Minister Davis Chisopa has urged journalists in the country to take advantage of social media networks in fighting gender stereotypes.
Mr Chisopa called on journalists in the country to expose social ills that infringe on the rights of women and girls.
He said social networks should not be used to perpetuate gender stereotypes that undermined women and prevent them from fully participating in the development of the country.
In the mean time,  Central Province Permanent Secretary Edwidge Mutale has challenged female journalists in the country to go for higher education if they are to be promoted to higher positions.
Ms Mutale said education was key for promotion in institutions and called on the women in the media to further their studies and contribute to the development of the country.
The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) has urged media practitioners to take interest in reporting issues of consumer welfare.
In a World Press Freedom Day message, ZABS head of marketing and public relations Hazel Zulu said the media should play their role adequately to ensure that consumers are protected and not subjected to substandard products which may be harmful to health and safety.