• As Zimbabwe heads towards the elections in 2023, political parties and the police should ensure the safety and security of journalists during campaign rallies and at all times to avert the media freedom violations that contribute to Zimbabwe’s incessant low global media freedom rankings. • Journalists should, and without fail, always strive for balance and fairness in their reportage and stories. In that regard, media professionalism is the very first line of defence for journalists as it is at the heart of media credibility and integrity. • Equally, journalists should familiarise themselves with the profession’s safety and security guidelines to minimise the risks that come with their chosen profession. • Journalists should avoid taking part in politics if one’s mind is not yet made up as to which of the two, they want to pursue. Participating in political processes and returning to the newsroom upon failure to make it in politics presents serious ethical dilemmas for the industry. • Policymakers, consumers, private companies, civil society organisations and POTRAZ should have meaningful, truthful and open conversations for purposes of addressing Zimbabwe’s high data costs which are detrimental to citizens’ right to free expression and access to information. • The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) should seriously consider revising the accreditation of journalists from the current one-year period towards a two – five-year period, renewable before the expiry of the accreditation period to safeguard journalists against being exposed to the dangers that come with using expired cards. • Further, the ZMC should include in its accreditation packages for journalists clearly marked media jackets for easy identification in addition to the issuance of accreditation cards. This can be achieved through the utilisation of the Media Development Fund. 23