Respondents to the survey said their audience could use a range of platforms to access information on the structure of control and ownership of their newsrooms. (Source: CivicSignal MediaData) c. Declaration of editorial staff policy Only 36% of the newsrooms surveyed declared having an editorial staff policy and only 32% of these shared the policy with the public. A lack of this policy brings about mistrust which poses a risk to newsrooms and their editorial staff. This declaration is important in building public trust in journalism as it allows journalists and news media organisations to be held accountable for their work. Further, it helps guard against potential conflicts of interest arising, for instance, from editors or journalists wearing 'different hats' or moonlighting for other organisations. d. Declaration of interests policy Only 18 of the surveyed newsrooms (36%) have a declaration of interests policy. Of these, only 10 newsrooms (20%) made the policy publicly available. The lack of transparency heightens the risk of newsrooms falling victim to political or external influence through gifts, travel or training in exchange for favourable coverage. During a roundtable discussion, editors highlighted the vulnerability of journalists to outside influences primarily due to their low salaries. The absence of a living wage for journalists and newsroom staff, in addition to the lack of clear editorial policies may increase their susceptibility to media capture. Cite this report as: Mwale et al, 'Transparency and trust: newsroom policies in Zambia', African Data and Democracy Observatory, April 2023. . 7 7