Notably, there has been a marked reduction in reported cases of violence against journalists and this is attributable to the various activities undertaken by media advocacy organisations, including MISA Zambia, as well as the government through regulators such as the Independent Broadcasting Authority and the Zambia Police Services. It is no wonder that even incidents of harassment by state officers/authorities were not rampant during the quarter. For example, most survey participants did not encounter any harassment from government officials and authorities such as district commissioners, among others as indicated in chart 1.1 below. Chart 1.1 Experience of harassment by government officers/authorities Another notable issue in the quarter under review is the successful holding of the 2021 general elections which ushered in Mr Hakainde Hichilema as Zambia’s seventh Republican President. The media played a critical role in ensuring the success of the elections by facilitating access to information through news coverage and provision of a platform for debate. The news 12