Foreword 2013 Reflecting on media freedom in SADC I n 2013, Namibia became the first African country to be ranked within the top 20 in Reporters Without Borders’ annual Press Freedom Index. While this number 19 spot is proof that it is possible to achieve high levels of media freedom in Africa on par with or better than many Western countries, we should not be complacent. There is still much work to do to ensure that Namibian citizens are able to fully realize their rights to freedom of expression and access to information. The year for the rest of southern Africa has not been so positive. The theme for MISA’s annual report on the state of media freedom in southern Africa, So This Is Democracy?, was ‘media behind bars’. Globally, 2013 was labeled the second worst year on record for jailed journalists, and in southern Africa, MISA recorded many cases of authorities arresting, detaining and interrogating journalists, in some cases also confiscating their equipment. For example, in September 2013 MISA Angola Chairperson Alexandre Neto Solombe was arrested along with two other journalists after they interviewed a group of youths recently released after being arrested for participating in an anti-government demonstration the previous day. The three journalists were allegedly interrogated, manhandled by police and detained for five hours without charge. Another low point of 2013 was the disturbing attacks on journalists in Tanzania. Chairperson of the Tanzania Editors Forum Absalom Kibanda was brutally assaulted in March by unknown assailants brandishing weapons and threatening to kill him. Kibanda suffered multiple head injuries and ultimately lost his left eye. Radio journalist Issa Ngumba also died in suspicious circumstances; his body was discovered in a forest in January and showed signs of torture and gunshot wounds. In the face of these grim events, MISA and her Chapters worked tirelessly to push for greater legal and physical protection for journalists and citizens 4 throughout the region and to create an enabling environment for journalists and ordinary citizens to enjoy the free exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and access to information without fear of legal or physical attacks, or government impediment. MISA Chapters conducted workshops and training sessions throughout the region on such diverse topics and skills areas as promoting good governance and accountability, election reporting, and Internet training. MISA Swaziland mobilised media practitioners and members of civil society groups to deliver petitions to two Ministers calling for an end to media freedom violations and the repeal of 32 restrictive media laws. The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa appointed MISA Malawi the secretariat of the campaign to decriminalise free speech in Malawi. MISA Malawi subsequently worked with several Malawian stakeholders to draft a Bill to decriminalise free speech in Malawi. Several Chapters held media awards, including Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the annual Regional Children’s Reporting Awards were held Successfully. MISA continued to build upon its reputation as a regional leader in the generation of research on the state of media freedom and access to information in the region. MISA released several major annual publications, including So This is Democracy?, Government Secrecy in an Information Age: Report on Open & Secretive Public Institutions in Southern Africa, and African Media Barometer surveys from Zambia and South Africa. MISA collaborated with regional partners to produce a booklet titled ‘Access to Information – examining progress in Africa’, providing an assessment on the state of access to information in 14 African countries. MISA also part-