STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT QUARTER 4, 2020 The findings in the report are important in the development of evidence-based advocacy with regard to enactment of a law on Access to Information which is a critical tenet of democracy as it enables citizens to make informed decisions. It is unfortunate, however, that accessing information from public bodies on request remains challenging, even when such information is in the public interest. This has been the trend even in past Transparency Assessment Reports. Public institutions (and officials) need to realise that they serve the public and exist because of them. As such, care must be taken to ensure that citizens are kept abreast of developments in the various ministries and that requests for information are attended to within stipulated periods Electoral Commission of Zambia representative receiving an award during the Transparency Assessment Report launch. of time. Admittedly, it is possible that the existence of restrictive laws such as the State Security Act mentioned above continues to pose challenges to public access to information upon request. P a g e 25 | 56