STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT QUARTER 4, 2020 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The State of the Media Report is a quarterly assessment of the media environment in Zambia. This edition covers the fourth quarter of 2020 i.e. October-December. This assessment and record describes the media trends in Zambia during the period and was prepared under the auspices of MISA Zambia. This report includes a number of interesting occurrences that added new developments, twists and opportunities alike for the overall media environment in Zambia. The socio-political environment was relatively calm with fewer violations (of less intensity) in comparison to the other three quarters in which ferocious politically-motivated attacks were witnessed against media outlets, with property damaged and individuals harmed in some cases. The quarter witnessed some positive media developments with regard to the socio-political environment, including collaborative efforts between the IBA and other stakeholders. Meanwhile, the threat of a resurgence of the Coronavirus pandemic remains imminent and is likely to affect the operations of the media again going forward based on a spike in the number of cases recorded towards the close of the quarter. In the legal environment, significant developments were noted with the potential to affect the media both positively and negatively. For example, the quarter witnessed the arrest of individuals on charges under the State Security Act Chapter 111 of the Laws of Zambia which is inimical to the freedom of expression and access to information. On a positive note, the quarter also witnessed the development of policies (Media Development and Government Communication) aimed at improving the media and communication environment as well as a positive Transparency assessment ranking for the country. However, the Access to Information Bill remains elusive as elucidated in the report. The economic environment maintained similar trends noted in previous quarters given the poor performance of most economic fundamentals and the continued effect on the operations of the media in the form of increased cost of production and running of media outlets. Despite less severity of the economic downturn in the fourth quarter, the Coronavirus pandemic continued to negatively affect media houses in view of reduced economic activity which further impacted on the advertising revenue which is the economic mainstay of most media houses in Zambia. P a g e 6 | 56