Platinum Golden Media Awards Open,
Media Challenged to Uphold Responsibility, Accuracy, Professionalism and Ethical Standards Ahead of 2026 Elections
By Francis Maingaila ♥️
Lusaka, Zambia24 — (3-07-2026) -- The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia has officially opened entries for the 24th Platinum Golden Media Awards, with calls for journalists to uphold professionalism, accuracy and ethical reporting ahead of the 13 August 2026 general elections.
Officially launching the awards on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, Director of Green Economy Ephraim Shitima said the environmental categories formed part of the broader MISA Zambia Media Awards under the Strengthening Respect for Environmental Rights in Zambia Project, which is supported by the European Union.
He said the broad support demonstrated a growing recognition by Government, development partners, civil society and the private sector that a free, independent and professional media was a public good deserving continued investment.
Shitima said Government remained committed to protecting environmental rights and ensuring that Zambia's natural resources were managed sustainably for the benefit of both present and future generations.
He said the country's development agenda prioritised green growth, climate resilience and responsible management of forests, water resources and mineral wealth through national policies and programmes.
According to Shitima, institutions such as the Zambia Environmental Management Agency continued to strengthen environmental regulation through compliance monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards, while Government had also invested in forest landscape restoration, renewable energy, climate resilience programmes and stronger environmental impact assessment processes.
He said communities needed access to information to participate meaningfully in environmental governance and to hold institutions accountable, adding that policy and legislation alone could not achieve sustainable environmental management.
Shitima described journalists as indispensable partners in exposing environmental degradation, investigating pollution, documenting the effects of climate change and giving affected communities a voice.
He said quality environmental reporting also helped Government identify implementation gaps while promoting transparency and accountability in the management of natural resources.
Shitima encouraged journalists and content creators across the country to submit entries and continue producing impactful stories that advance environmental protection and sustainable development.
She said journalists remain central to informing the public, holding leaders accountable and amplifying the voices of marginalised communities, especially at a time when misinformation and disinformation continue to spread rapidly across digital platforms.
“As Zambia prepares for the 2026 general elections, the role of the media has never been more important,” Mwanza said. “Professional journalism remains one of the strongest defences of the public’s right to accurate, balanced and credible information.”
She emphasised that the media is a cornerstone of democracy, adding that it promotes transparency, encourages public debate and strengthens accountability in governance.
Mwanza further said the Platinum Golden Media Awards are designed to recognise media practitioners who demonstrate excellence, courage and integrity in their reporting across television, radio, print and online platforms.
She also highlighted the importance of storytelling in journalism, noting that well-crafted stories educate the public, expose injustice, preserve history and inspire social change.
Behind every news report, documentary or investigative piece, she said, are journalists who often work under difficult conditions to serve the public interest.
The awards will feature categories covering television, commercial radio, community radio, print and online journalism, as well as a prestigious Media Freedom Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to press freedom in Zambia.
Entries for the awards officially opened on the day of the launch and will close on 18 September 2026.
Mwanza also called on more organisations and cooperating partners to support the initiative, saying such partnerships are essential in strengthening specialised reporting and encouraging high-quality journalism that contributes to national development.
She further urged stakeholders to continue supporting media freedom, access to information and journalist safety, stating that these are fundamental pillars of a functional democracy.
“Without media freedom, democracy cannot thrive,” she said.
Chinika said the media plays a critical role in exposing environmental rights violations, amplifying community voices and promoting public participation in environmental governance.
However, she noted that environmental reporting often receives limited attention due to capacity gaps, resource constraints and competing newsroom priorities.
To address this, she said HIVOS has invested in media training, environmental journalism fellowships and public awareness initiatives aimed at strengthening reporting in the sector.
She added that supporting environmental journalism awards is a strategic way of recognising excellence and sustaining coverage of environmental issues such as mining, pollution and climate change.
Chinika further underscored the importance of government leadership in advancing Zambia’s green transition, noting that environmental protection and sustainable resource management are central to national development priorities.
She said the collaboration between civil society, media and government is essential in ensuring transparency and accountability in environmental governance.
The Hunger Project Zambia Director Samuel Mutambo said his organisation was proud to sponsor the Silver Category of the awards as part of its commitment to supporting journalism that promotes democracy, accountability and community development.
Mutambo said the organisation envisioned a world without hunger and worked to facilitate individual and collective action that transformed systems of inequality responsible for perpetuating hunger among rural communities.
He said the Hunger Project's community-led development model empowered communities to take ownership of their own development through its Vision, Commitment and Action principles.
Mutambo explained that the organisation's Epicentre Strategy brought together between 5,000 and 15,000 people around integrated community centres that combined health services, education, food security, microfinance and local governance.
He said the organisation believed community transformation started with women because they remained central to household and community development.
Mutambo added that every project also began with access to clean water because water was the foundation for improved health, productivity and human dignity.
He said the organisation was now implementing Smart Epicentres that empowered young people through digital innovation, climate-smart agriculture and entrepreneurship.
Mutambo said the media had an important responsibility to educate, inform and inspire positive change, making it a natural partner in the fight against hunger and poverty.
He said the Hunger Project's sponsorship would recognise reporting on food security and nutrition, gender equality and women and youth empowerment, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene.
According to Mutambo, responsible journalism helped spread knowledge on sustainable agricultural practices, improved nutrition and community resilience while amplifying the voices of women and young people.
He thanked journalists for their courage and professionalism, saying their work continued to shine a light on issues affecting vulnerable communities.
Habitat for Humanity Zambia Project Director Bertha Mpepo said the organisation was pleased to sponsor the Best Housing Advocacy Media Award in recognition of the media's role in advancing conversations on housing and development.
Mpepo said Habitat for Humanity had operated in Zambia since 1984 with a vision of ensuring every person had access to a safe and decent place to live.
She said the organisation had supported more than 4,000 people through programmes in housing finance, water, sanitation and hygiene, informal settlement upgrading, community empowerment and security of tenure.
Mpepo said housing represented more than shelter because it provided dignity, safety, improved health and economic opportunity.
She said journalists played a vital role in highlighting housing challenges, affordability concerns, housing finance and the realities facing vulnerable communities.
According to Mpepo, the award would recognise journalists whose reporting promoted practical, inclusive and sustainable housing solutions while inspiring action among policymakers and stakeholders.
She expressed hope that the partnership with MISA Zambia would encourage more reporting that amplified community voices and contributed towards improving access to safe and affordable housing across the country.
Meanwhile, Media Initiative on School Health representative Lance Sannie Banda announced a partnership with MISA Zambia to strengthen reporting on school health issues.
Banda said the partnership was built on the shared belief that journalism had the power to shape society and influence positive change through responsible reporting.
He said the initiative, working alongside Healthy Learners, aimed to ensure stories on school health received the prominence they deserved because healthy learners formed the foundation of a healthy nation.
Banda called on journalists from across Zambia to report comprehensively on both the achievements and challenges of school health programmes in their respective communities.
He announced that the organisation would sponsor six categories recognising excellence in school health reporting.
The awards include Overall Best School Health Reporting for male and female journalists, as well as awards for television, radio, print and online journalism.
Banda said recognising excellence across multiple media platforms would encourage more journalists to highlight school health issues and support efforts to improve the wellbeing and educational outcomes of learners nationwide.
The 2026 MISA Zambia Media Awards will honour outstanding journalism across environmental reporting, housing advocacy, school health, food security and several other specialised categories supported by Government, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening professional journalism in Zambia.
Government and cooperating partners have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening quality journalism, describing the media as a critical partner in promoting environmental protection, accountability, public health, food security and sustainable national development.
The commitment was made at the launch of the 2026 MISA Zambia Media Awards, where Government and several organisations announced sponsorships for specialised award categories aimed at encouraging excellence in public interest reporting.
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