STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 12 JOURNALISM UNDER SURVEILLANCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA while amplifying old problems regarding the safety and security of journalists. Among these are the introduction of new channels for news distribution, which has brought with it increased responsibility with regards to information verification and fact checking. The issue of media sustainability has also been expounded by the growth of the digital era, as advertising revenue continues to dwindle due to increased uptake of technology offering direct advertising channels to consumers. By Nompilo Simanje INTRODUCTION W HEN the Windhoek Declaration was signed in 1991 it aimed at promoting independent, pluralistic and free media, and the following was acknowledged: While the practice of journalism in Southern Africa has been under threat given the circumstances noted in the declaration, the digital age has presented new challenges “In Africa today, despite the positive developments in some countries, in many countries journalists, editors and publishers are victims of repression, they are murdered, arrested, detained and censored, and are restricted by economic and political pressures such as restrictions on newsprint, licensing systems which restrict the opportunity to publish, visa restrictions which prevent the free movement of journalists, restrictions on the exchange of news and information, and limitations on the circulation of newspapers within countries and across national borders. In some countries, one party States control the totality of information.” With increased development in technology and the embracing of convergence by the media, there is now a heavy integration of digital platforms as a means to source, receive and disseminate news. Consequently, this has resulted in states’ interests in surveillance. Evidence in the Southern African region shows increasing investment in surveillance tools and methods by governments characterised by the setting up of cyber teams for purposes of monitoring, tracking and intercepting communications. Such monitoring activities have unfortunately not spared journalists, compromising their safety and violating the confidentiality of their sources. Prior to rapid technological developments and the sprouting of channels for news production and dissemination, States had monopoly over information and could regulate access to information or the nature of information consumed by citizens. With digitisation, however, the government’s stranglehold on information has been loosened, with information