b) Those which regulate the functioning of democratic institutions; c) Those which guarantee and ensure the operationality and the safety of the personnel, equipment, material and installations of the armed forces and the security services; and d) Those, which safeguard the financial, monetary, economic and trade interests of the state. In the opinion of the members of the panel, section 26 of the State Secrets Act makes it practically impossible for journalists to obtain and disseminate any information, since the list of documents defined as state secrets is so vast that it covers almost all spheres of life in a society. This section makes it a criminal offence for any person who has not been authorised by the designated authorities to access and disseminate any information or material that is considered classified. This prohibition is applicable, regardless of the way or source through which such material or information may have been obtained. This offence attracts a prison sentence that varies between six months and two years, depending on the gravity of the crime and on whether it was actually committed or not. Office bearers or public servants may additionally be dismissed under the terms of the penal code. Despite all these constraints significant progress has been made in recent years in creating an environment of relative press freedom in Angola. However, a lot of work still needs to be done in order to consolidate the gains achieved so far. There is a need for greater dialogue between the government and professional media organisations. This dialogue should also extend to all other civil society organisations with a stake in the development of an environment of diversity and pluralism of opinion and tolerance. Angola was shaken by the brutal assassination on 5 September 2010 of Alberto Graves Chakussanga, a journalist with the private radio station Despertar. This incident was followed by two other attacks aimed at journalists in the private sector. A fourth journalist has allegedly been the target of acts of intimidation. There is nothing to suggest that these acts could have been sanctioned by the government. But they represent a dent in Angola’s reputation as a country where journalists are free to go about their activities in conditions of safety. There is, therefore, a need to continue monitoring the situation as well as for greater collaboration between the government, the media and civil society organisations, in a collective effort aimed at countering some negative tendencies which may contribute to reversing the gains that have been achieved so far. Several times during the discussions it was pointed out that in the public sector media, despite there being some degree of diversity in programming in order to cover all sectors of society, there remain serious concerns about some restrictions 74 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ANGOLA 2010