STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 62 balanced news coverage. To meaningfully participate in a democratic society, citizens also need to produce quality content. The need to engage with media creators and consumers and use their voices to advocate for positive changes in their communities also becomes an important aspect in the MIL movement. speech. Motivations behind such behaviour is not reflected on enough. The study found that there is a low awareness of how to harness technical skills for more ambitious purposes, and respondents lacked advanced skills. Youth were not aware of the potential use of journalistic media in public campaigning. In Namibia and Lesotho, the Media & Information Literacy Learning Initiative (MiLLi*), a not-for-profit organisation that provides MIL training to out of school youth, considering five dimensions such as access, analyse, create, reflect, and act. Youth largely underestimate the influence their activism can have (using social media). (2) DW Akademie is an international media organisation and is one of the main support partners of MiLLi*. MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA DW Akademie commissioned a study in 2018, with youth who had no MIL training, and youth who had basic MIL training, from Windhoek and Rundu and found that youth relied heavily on social media for information, and in contrast to this they still trusted traditional media more. Other outcomes from the study pointed out that more rural younger (and older) groups preferred radio and television, while most urban groups preferred digital media. The products from the Meta Company and co have become prime news sources for many and news apps were not prominent at all. The participants’ appraisal of media in terms of trustworthiness, was exactly the opposite of the media most of them used. The group showed a considerable tolerance for cyberbullying, as opposed to disinformation, and hate The positive effects of training youth in MIL can overcome some of the shortcomings seen in the MIL index. SADC member states have numerous newspapers, radio stations and television channels ranging from State- owned or public media houses to private or commercial media creators to community media, which is an indication of the vast number of traditional media citizens have access to. Wallace Gichunge, MIL practitioner and Africa regional representative on the UNESCO MIL Alliance when asked about the importance of MIL in Southern Africa for this article, responded via email that,” interpreting media messages include recognising the use of metaphors, irony, and the way that stories and events are framed to suggest certain meanings, is critical. To do this, people need to effectively use resources provided by media, libraries, archives, and other information providers.” Media shapes our perceptions and opinions or informs our decisions, especially when it comes to elections and other central issues affecting lives, and therefore literacy in media and information is vital to make better decisions for development. In August 2020, the SADC Heads of State and Government resolved to take pre-emptive measures to combat fake news and abuse on social media. Many organisations have been challenged by this broad terminology used and the consequences of this approach. As a result, MISA Zimbabwe recommended that governments should collaborate with civil society to find conducive and meaningful ways to manage information disorder, while still upholding the rights of the people. (3) Back in January 2017, the Angolan government passed four new laws to grant the government the ability to penalise online speech and ban content. These controversial laws, regulated by the Angolan Social Communications Regulatory Body, was criticised as an attempt by the ruling party to control or censor the use of social media and the Internet to expose misuse of power, corruption, and nepotism. (4) These cases demonstrate that legislation which infringe on freedom of expression is not a solution to the challenges brought about by digitalisation, and that a holistic approach involving all stakeholders of society is required to ensure fundamental human rights are protected and platforms are safe and relevant for citizens. One solution is MIL education for citizens, who are then empowered to be responsible creators and consumers of content.