Media freedom monitoring

Monitoring media freedom has been one of MISA Zimbabwe’s core activities since its establishment in 1995.

To do this, we compile a list of media violations and victories – accurate and detailed records of abuses of, or progress toward, a free, independent, diverse and pluralistic media as envisaged by the Windhoek Declaration.

Media violations are issued in the form of alerts to educate people about the nature of the abuse and highlight trends. Alerts can also serve as advocacy tools and inform research to help influence changes to legislation and policy, as well as help bring perpetrators to justice.

Media violations include:

  • when journalists are physically or verbally assaulted, threatened, injured, kidnapped, disappear, arrested, killed, censored, denied credentials or wrongfully expelled during the course of their work or as a direct result of their work
  • when news outlets are attacked, illegally searched, censored, closed by force, raided, unable to report, broadcast or publish because of factors such as the confiscation of equipment, blocking of their online site or the jamming of transmissions
  • when new legislation or changes to legislation hinder journalists from conducting their work freely and without fear.

We use this information to compile the annual State of the Media Report that tabulates the alerts and analyses them against the prevailing media environment. This report feeds into the MISA regional report, So this is Democracy? which ranks and measures the performance of Zimbabwe against other countries in the Southern African region.

Media freedom news from our chapters

Parly issues adverse report on court electronic management system

Parly issues adverse report on court electronic management system

The Parliamentary Legal Committee has issued an adverse report on Statutory Instrument 153 of 2023 High Court (Amendment) Rules, 2023 (NO.1), which relates to the Judicial Service Commission’s Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS). The Committee met on...

Media development in Zimbabwe: Imperative need to connect the dots

Media development in Zimbabwe: Imperative need to connect the dots

By Dr Tabani Moyo Media development in Zimbabwe requires a holistic approach, alive to the gains accrued thus far and complex enough to connect the scattered dots through an outward-looking strategy responsive to the evolving needs of the media development ecosystem....

Violence against women serious breach of human rights

Violence against women serious breach of human rights

Violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights worldwide which is being worsened by targeting and attacking women including female journalists who are vocal online. As the world commemorates the International Day for the Elimination of Violence...