Mr. Sikazwe says government should not guarantee public media freedom through pronouncements such a position can easily be changed.

Mr. Sikazwe says such pronouncements have been made before by past regimes but little change took place in terms of laws and policies governing and facilitating the existence of public media.

He has cited the time the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) came to power and promised to liberalize the media and and went further by outlining it in the manifesto but failed to enact the freedom of information bill during its entire stay in power.

The MISA Zambia chairperson has since urged the Patriotic Front government to ensure that they practice what they preach by guaranteeing freedom to state owned media through laws and not mere pronouncements.

He was speaking today during a media briefing in Lusaka.

And Mr. Sikazwe has expressed concern on the continued harassment of media practitioners by the Zambia Police.

He says MISA Zambia is saddened by the continued detention and harassment of journalists and the confiscation of equipment whenever journalists are covering public events.