I National Overview n 2017, the Malawi media established itself as a key player in the fight against corruption and the country’s democratisation process. Despite a hostile political environment and economic strangulation, the media managed to hold duty bearers accountable and expose corruption, social injustices, abuse of power and public resources as well as demand political democracy and fiscal prudence. The media was central in exposing the infamous Maizegate which saw the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrest former Minister of Agriculture and ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) political heavyweight George Chaponda for alleged abuse of power in the procurement of maize from Zambia. The media was also central in exposing a US$74 million Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) plan to procure generators without following procurement procedures. Overall, the media provided forums for citizens to freely voice their policy preferences, suggest solutions to national or community problems, and debate a diversity of issues, which included access to information, gender-based violence, power outage, water development projects, sanitation, climate change and the environment. However, the media operating environment in 2017 remained risky, exploitative and retrogressive. Members of the media were physically assaulted when covering public functions such as demonstrations. Practitioners received anonymous threats for carrying stories critical of the state or the ruling elite. Media practitioners were barred from covering public functions at both the district and national level, including coverage of 52 So This is Democracy? 2017 proceedings of a conference on implementation of the country’s public sector reforms. Barring reporters from covering public functions was one of the major problems for the Malawi media in 2017. This was however happening at a time when the country’s President Professor Peter Mutharika had just assented to the Access to Information Act (2016) confirming his government’s commitment to promoting the right to information. Despite a hostile political environment and economic strangulation, the media managed to hold duty bearers accountable and expose corruption, social injustices, abuse of power and public resources as well as demand political democracy and fiscal prudence. This review looks at the Malawi media operating environment in 2017 with distinct focus on media-government relationship, Constitutional rights and legislative environment, access to infor-