in their coverage of the general elections held under the new normal. The high polarisation of the media and unfair coverage by public media remained topical through the quarter. The media were also affected by the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in what was believed to be a vicious third wave, thereby restricting their ability and latitude to effectively gather and disseminate information. 3.2. Legal Environment The legal environment in the fourth quarter remained stable with no major developments or legal reforms noted, especially that the National Assembly was dissolved in the previous quarter and the country was set to go to the polls. One of the most notable developments in the quarter under review was the resumption of discussions on the Media Regulation Bill under the Technical Working Group on Statutory Media Regulation. At the end of the quarter, a meeting was called by the Group to review the Draft ZAMEC Bill and discuss a roadmap for the process. The following communique was issued by the Media Liaison Committee: The Technical Working Group on Statutory Media Self-Regulation, having met in Kafue from September 27 to 29 to review the proposed ZAMEC set up: Reviewed the proposed ZAMEC Draft Bill, the Constitution, and the Code of Ethics. Designed a road map for stakeholder engagement and sensitisation. The meeting noted that the media fraternity in Zambia has during various symposia and conferences endorsed the process and more specifically the change in approach from the voluntary media regulation to statutory self-regulation culminating in the development of the proposed ZAMEC Bill. The meeting reaffirmed the resolution of the 2019 Insaka for the establishment of a statutory self-regulatory process. The meeting resolved that there is need for a broader stakeholder engagement, among them the government, media 17 institutions, academia, governance