tried to increase sales amidst dwindling readership. The cost-cutting measures adopted by media companies, led to slashing of salaries creating a fertile ground for “brown envelope” journalism. In contexts where journalists have low salaries and fear losing their jobs, ethical reporting can be perceived as a lesser priority than making money and complying with ethical journalism. Journalists therefore solicited bribes from different sectors of society in a number of different ways and some became lackeys of certain politicians, religious leaders, musicians and organisations for financial gain. The worsening economic environment also posed serious viability and sustainability challenges to newspaper companies as evidenced by the closure of the privately owned Southern Eye, The Zimbabwe Mail, The Flame and New Zimbabwean. There was also downsizing of staff which worsened in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling allowing employers to give workers three months termination notices. The quality of reporting and journalism ethics predictably degenerated in this environment as journalists have concentrated on economic survival and self-preservation in the midst of political polarisation and factionalism. JOURNALISTS SAFETY While cases pertaining to media freedom violations had been on a steady decline with 22 cases recorded in 2014 compared to 28 the previous year, the cases shot to 25 violations in 2015. This speaks volumes on the lack of willingness to embrace and practice constitutionalism on the part of senior government and Zanu PF officials and other non-state actors. The violations which 96 So This is Democracy? 2015 were mainly in the form of threats and unlawful arrests, came in the wake of Zanu PF factional fights. The private media came under heavy censure for highlighting the rifts within Zanu PF. The threats were ominous in that they came from President Mugabe, his wife, Grace, and the Permanent Secretary for Media, Information and Broadcasting Services, George Charamba. The main recommendation is the need for review of existing media laws in line with the Constitution, including media regulation and removal off all penal measures and criminalisation. There were a large number of cases involved the unlawful arrests or assaults by the police of journalists conducting their lawful professional duties. Some of the cases involved the arrest of The Sunday Mail journalists and the detention of Mutare journalists, Sydney Saize, Bernard Chiketo and Kenneth Nyangani in Rusape. Journalists Obey Manayiti, Reagan Mashavave and Pindai Dube were also detained, threatened and released without charges by the police on 8 August