journalists undertaking their lawful professional duties as provided for by the Constitution,” the petition read. The incident happened on 4 April 2019 during a joint operation against vendors by police and Harare municipal police officers in the central business district. Such violations of media freedom impose greater urgency and the requisite political will on the need for comprehensive media law and policy reforms. These reforms should not only be restricted to the media and information industry, but also include wholesale political and economic policy shifts in line with the Constitution, which are critical to unlocking both domestic and foreign direct investment. ❖ Arrests, threats and harassment of journalists In September 2016 and December 2017, media representative bodies led by MISA Zimbabwe Trustee and veteran journalist, Cris Chinaka, under the auspices of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, met with senior police officers led by then National Police Spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba. The two meetings were informed by what can be termed as deteriorating relations and hostility between the media and the police in the wake of increased cases involving the harassment, assault and arrests of journalists conducting their lawful professional duties by members of the police. During the meetings, the parties raised issues of mutual professional concerns and acknowledged that these needed to be addressed in the context of respective mandates and responsibilities as provided for by the Constitution. It is against this background that the December 2017 follow-up meeting culminated in the production of key action points that needed to be taken to improve professional relations between the police and the media. Commendably, the agreed action plans and interventions went a long way in not only improving relations between the two parties, but in reducing the number of cases involving the unlawful arrests, assaults or harassment of journalists by the police. 10