Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
A new study on Zambian politics has revealed that a majority of the country’s Members of Parliament (MPs) do support an increase in press freedom.
The study that has been conducted by a Dr. Gregory Pitts who is incoming director of the school of journalism at Middle Tennessee State University and Dr. Twange Kasoma, an assistant professor of communication at Radford University from United States, has found that almost 95 percent of survey reporting MPs favor an increase in press freedom.
The survey, which was completed by over 50 percent of current MPs, was a follow-up on two earlier surveys conducted in 1997 and 2005 respectively.
The previous surveys also showed a steady increase in support for more press freedom, though not as high as the current study.
Questions on the current survey were modified to incorporate the existence of online media in Zambia.
Among the questions the current study addressed included the type of relationship MPs had with journalists, what media outlets the MPs exposed themselves to the most, what outlets were most fair and balanced in their reporting, and whether the media in Zambia should self-regulate.
The study has also found that 56.2 percent of the parliamentarians agreed that they have a friendly or very friendly relationship with the press.
On the question of the media self-regulating, however, only 48.6 percent of parliamentarians supported self-regulation compared to the 62.2 percent who agreed that a press council would be suitable.
Comparing the current survey to the one done in 1997, Dr. Pitts has said people are much more closed in the previous survey and they tend to be more open and willing to embrace the idea of press freedom today.
Dr. Pitts says that he also believes a press council would be difficult to maintain but that he hopes to see improved media self-regulation one day in the country.