JOURNALIST SAFETY essential to media freedom and freedom of expression O ver the past 20 years, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has been the primary advocate for media freedom and freedom of expression in southern Africa, issuing alerts on media freedom violations, condemnations of killings, assaults and other forms of unjustified treatment to journalists, including restrictions on access to information. For freedom of expression to exist, there must be access to a free press that can give the public access to non-partisan information; give a voice to the different sectors of society; tell the many sides of a story; deliver information from a variety of sources so as to enable people to make informed decisions; and report on all matters in the public interest, giving a better understanding of the political, socio-economic and cultural environment. A basic human right All of the above is highly dependent on a free press, of which safety and The right to work without threat of violence is a basic human right. security of journalists is the hallmark. Everyone – from journalists, to bloggers, to people who just have something to say – has the right to form and express his or her opinions. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights upholds this A free press is at the absolute core of equitable development, right to freely seek, receive and send out information, ideas and opinions if you cannot enfranchise poor people, if they do not have a through any media. right to expression, if there is no searchlight on corruption and inequitable practices, you cannot build the public MISA continuously implores southern African governments to guarantee consensus needed to bring about change. this right and bring to justice those implicated in attacks on media freedom, which have resulted in the death, maiming, beating and arrest, James D Wolfensohn,former President of the World Bank detention and/or charging of scores of media workers across the region. 3 Back Contents Next