Regional outlook During the year under review, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) shifted the focus of its communications strategy from the approval of the communication policy to the implementation of both the policy and strategy at regional and national chapter levels. Communication within and outside MISA has improved with the implementation of the policy. While chapters are still making the necessary changes for the localisation of the policy, indications are that things are moving in the right direction. This has paved the way for stronger communication between the Regional Secretariat and the national chapters. Considerable progress has also been made in consolidating the organisation’s communication with the MISA brand identity being more consistent throughout the region, however, there is still room for improvement. Successes Publicity MISA continued to consolidate its brand identity with the printing of compliment slips, pop up banners and brochures. The chapters continued to produce T-shirts, posters and calendars to publicise the organisation, special events and national campaigns. A system used to track the global coverage of MISA in the electronic media was put in place and a statistical analysis of this data shows that MISA is in the news every week. MISA continued to publicise itself and the various campaigns over the course of the reporting period. Press releases on various issues were issued in all the countries where MISA is represented, as well as at a regional level. This saw a further consolidation of MISA as a leading authority on media freedom and freedom of expression issues. Chapters have reported how MISA’s role in the development of their various democracies is seen to be critical and how the organisation is included in key policy-making processes involving the media. Notable examples include Mozambique, where the president invited the chapter to contribute to a review of the country’s press law; Zambia, where MISA is part of the constitutional review process; and Tanzania, where MISA was invited to offer training on freedom of information. MISA Angola, faced with the challenge of re-establishing its credibility, managed to establish partnerships with several stakeholders, some of whom have funded the chapter’s small projects. The most notable partnership established by MISA Angola is with the Windhoek Cluster of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNCESCO), which has led to an agreement to establish multi-media centres around the country. Reports of increased membership in chapters like Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, and South Africa, among others, are further evidence that MISA is still considered to be a key player in the field of media freedom and freedom of expression. MISA Zimbabwe publicised the chapter’s campaigns and mandate through innovative means, such as drama, to accentuate the significance of freedom of expression. They also received coverage in the country’s independent papers and international media, especially during the March 2008 elections. 38 Annual Report 2008