Overall, the quarter under review was, like other thematic areas, not as severe as that witnessed in the previous quarter. The failure to enact a law on access to information dealt a major blow to most advocates who were expectant of significant progress from 2016 when the last elections were held and assurance of enactment in the twelfth National Assembly given. Other occurrences in the quarter, such as the potential chilling effect arising from instances of application of the law on defamation of the President also had an impact. 3.3 Economic Environment There was very little improvement observed in the economic environment which recorded similar developments in most economic variables noted in the first quarter, thereby constraining the operations of media houses in the quarter under review. This trend (of negativity) has obtained for the past three quarters and remained a source of concern. In the quarter under review, there was continued currency depreciation, with the Kwacha performing poorly against major convertible currencies, trading at an average of K22.4 for one United States Dollar28. Above: Performance of the Kwacha against the Dollar in the Quarter Further, the rate of inflation (year on year) also continued on an upward trajectory. For example, at the close of the quarter, the annual inflation stood at 24.6%, from 22.7% recorded in April. This was attributed to increases in the price of some food items29. 28 As recorded on 1st April, 2021 according to data contained in the Bank of Zambia Historical Series of Exchange Rates for April-June, 2021. 29 See Zambia Statistics Agency (ZAMSA) Monthly Bulletins for April, May and June, 2021. Available at https://www. zamstats.gov.zm/index.php/publications/category/51-2021 State of the Media in Zambia 13