RECOMMENDATIONS
ICTs can help increase quantity and even the quality of journalism and access to information in Africa.
While the future of journalism in Africa is bright there
are some notable stumbling blocks.

man rights defenders and other activists in southern
Africa to harness the power of ICT to promote democracy and good governance and to defend their
privacy and evade possible surveillance.

Apart from access to technology, training and infrastructure, there is also the issue of repressive governments. But for that to be achieved, bodies like
MISA need to be at the forefront of formulating policy that can critically capacitate journalists and other
practitioners about ICTs and the dissemination of
critical content and analysis. Also, practitioners need
to be taught on procedures to be taken when faced
with such challenges. Below are some of the recommendations based on the analysis of the results of
the survey.

MISA needs to raise awareness on issues surrounding digital security (privacy, censorship and surveillance) for citizen and mainstream journalists in
southern Africa and fully capacitate southern Africa
citizen and mainstream journalists in effective usage
of digital media tools for research and presentation
of evidence of human rights violations

MISA needs to educate stakeholders in areas concerning privacy as a right situated within a broader
human rights framework. Also, MISA needs to create a platform, preferably on the Regional Secretariat
and Chapter websites, where privacy laws for individual countries are clearly outlined and critiqued.
These platforms will familiarise southern Africa citizens and mainstream journalists with existing legal
frameworks (criminal defamation and insult laws)
and how such can be used to restrict freedom of
expression in cyberspace and what strategies and
tactics can be adopted to defend the online space.
There is a need to sensitise users on how to avoid
or deal with spyware and other malicious software.
MISA should formulate policy or train journalists,
bloggers and human rights activists on key tools and
tactics.
There is also a need for media houses/organisations
to invest more in advanced data encryption equipment. One actionable outcome from this can be an
output document with meaningful/actionable technical and policy information on best practices and
steps to address in-house security concerns. These
can be adopted, via MISA chapters, by different media houses or individuals.
There is a need for MISA and its Chapters to initiate groups, which can offer support and sharing of
information, encryption of data, procedures for reporting suspected surveillance, and other support as
needed.
MISA needs to empower journalists, bloggers, hu12

MISA should facilitate regional participation of technical experts, policymakers, and other stakeholders
for an actionable discussion on the importance of
understanding regional concerns on cyber security
and global Internet Governance matters.

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