Media for Ethical Election Coverage in Zambia (MEEZ)

BBC Media Action provided television, radio, and print journalists with training in editorial and production skills, both through workshops and continuing on-the-job mentoring. The training was designed to encourage reporters to tell a story from a variety of viewpoints. Journalists were encouraged to think about all aspects of production and editorial - what would the television sets look like and how were they going to ask the candidates challenging questions when it was something the participants were not used to?

Alongside these journalism training-related activities, BBC Media Action supported a television-based public information campaign, produced by the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC, the state broadcaster), in collaboration with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), to encourage Zambians to use their vote. It was also broadcast by the commercial station, Muvi TV. According to BBC Media Action, as part of the project Zambians were able to see their political candidates answer questions on live TV for the first time.  BBC Media Action also worked in partnership with the Media Institute for Southern African and the Press Association of Zambia to put in place a mechanism to monitor the media's performance before, during, and after the elections.

Democracy and Governance

According to BBC Media Action, many journalists involved in the election project have been encouraged by the experience, and are hopeful for the future. A print journalist said, "We have never seen the Times of Zambia like this before, carrying stories about other political parties and accommodating their views. That has been a tremendous shift." In addition, a television presenter had an idea for a TV programme on party manifestos, and BBC Media Action helped shape and build the idea to make it happen.