MISA Regional acknowledges the enactment of the Access to Information (ATI) law and the repeal of criminal defamation of the president as historical milestones. However, these are paper victories that have been neutralised by institutional silence.
News
MISA Regional Office engages Botswana former President
Dr Masisi expressed his gratitude to MISA for reaching out and meeting with him.
MISA welcomes draft African Guidelines on Data Access
The Guidelines embed data access within the established framework of the rights to information and to development.
Zambian journalists pledge to uphold highest ethical standards ahead of elections
The workshop was a collaborative effort by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNESCO Regional Office of Southern Africa (ROSA), the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), United Nations Zambia and MISA Zambia.
Call for Applications for 20 Media Outlets: Connected Media, Informed Citizens – Cooperation in Fighting Against Disinformation in Southern Africa
Closing date June 21th 2026 at 11.59 p.m. (GMT + 1)
Dialogue Fund: Innovation for Viability
Teams need to have a focus on quality, public-interest information journalism and be based in Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Eswatini, or Lesotho.
MISA launches Regional Media Lawyers Network
The Network is currently anchored in MISA Chapters in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, with a view to expanding into other countries in the region.
South Africa, Namibia lead as Tanzania, Zimbabwe slip in press freedom rankings
The World Press Freedom Index highlights the rise in coordinated online harassment, particularly against female journalists.
MISA launches sixth edition of the Southern Africa Press Freedom Report
The report exposes a pervasive crisis of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV).
An urgent call to invest in democracy and development in Southern Africa
While countries such as South Africa, Namibia and Botswana remain comparatively open, they face mounting structural pressures.
Meanwhile, Malawi, Lesotho, Zambia and Mozambique occupy a fragile middle ground, where the space for journalism is inconsistent.
In Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Eswatini and Angola, we see restrictive conditions characterised by legal repression, intimidation and censorship.