journalists for questioning over published stories and arresting media workers while they were in carrying out their duties. MEDIA PLURALISM AND DIVERSITY Five journalists were attacked by police during the period under review, exposing lack of safety guarantees for media workers even from the law enforcement agents. (1) Malawi has a diverse media industry where both the government and private owners have a significant role in the market in both the print and broadcasting media sectors. The country also has a significant number of community radio stations and privately owned radio stations that have a national reach. Malawi also has over 13 privately owned newspapers with the Nations Publications Limited and Blantyre Newspapers Limited enjoying a fair share of the media market. There have also been reports of journalists receiving threats via the phone and social media from government officials after publishing stories that are deemed too critical of the establishment. MEDIA INDEPENDENCE over the government’s continued tight control of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), which critics say is being treated as mouthpiece of the ruling party instead of being allowed to play its public service role as a national broadcaster. Provisions of the Communications Act of 2016 guarantee the MBC’s independence, which are being ignored by the government. There are also concerns about political interference in the operations of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), which has at times banned live broadcasts and phone-in programmes as part of government’s efforts to curtail criticism. Concerns are also growing JOURNALISTS’ SAFETY AND PROTECTION Journalists’ safety remained an issue of concern in the period between 2020 and 2021. In the first six months of Chakwera’s administration, cyberbullying was increasingly used as a new tool to silence critics of the government. Hiding under pseudonyms, online trolls targeted mostly columnists and journalists that were deemed too critical of the new administration. The Malawi Police Service (MPS) topped the list of perpetrators of attacks against journalists in 2021 and the attacks were both physical and online. MPS officers continued to assault journalists on duty, routinely summoning Journalist Oliver Malibisa CREDIT: MISA Malawi STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 41 Lobbying for the repeal of the laws continues.