The Zambian Watchdog was an investigative online media, that focused on corruption and other major crimes such as drug trafficking in Zambia. It also contained breaking news on politics and major events in Zambia. The Zambian Watchdog was founded as a newspaper with an online edition, but was forced into exile in 2009 and subsequently closed its printed newspaper.
Journalists for the newspaper operated undercover and anonymously in Zambia, but the editors lived in exile due to threats on their lives.
Its official site and multiple linking pages to the posts have been censored inside Zambia by the government, restricting the human right of freedom of speech. After a seemingly, controversial 2016 Presidential elections, the Zambian Watchdog Facebook page was blocked by the PF government.
The development comes after claims by the government that the watchdog is inciting violence in the country by its false and unprofessional reports, particularly claiming it is supporting the opposition UPND.
Journalists writing for the Zambian Watchdog frequently face state-sponsored persecution. Some are currently attending court trials on what human rights bodies and local media associations claim are trumped up charges in a move perceived as state retribution.