State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 MISA Activities and programmes F rom April 2002, MISA work has been centred around Five programme areas as identified by its members and elaborated in its Strategic Partnership Programme April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2005. These are: 1. Freedom of Expression and Right to Information Campaign: which seeks to campaign for citizens to embrace their right to be informed through unhindered access to information. Laws and policies that militate against these rights will be challenged and grassroots campaigns on the concept of information as a basic right and need will be done. The basis of this programme area is founded on the principle that informed citizens will make the best decisions for their wellbeing and in so doing empower themselves. This will ensure that they can hold their governors accountable and is so doing lead to the reduction of poverty and disease. 2. Media Freedom Monitoring programme which seeks to continue the work MISA is renowned for: monitoring and reporting media freedom violations in the region. Through this programme, reports of incidents of media freedom violations, mostly by state authorities are made and campaigns against such violations intensified. MISA is a member of the International Freedom of Expression network (IFEX) since 1994 and has published an annual year book on the state of media freedom in the region (So this is Democracy?) every year from 1994. 3. The Campaign for Broadcasting Diversity programme seeks to continue the work on broadcasting policy MISA started in 1995 which laid the foundation for the role of broadcasting in the region to enable this major source of news and opinions to operate effectively. The three tier system of public, commercial and community broadcasting, if operated in the correct manner, can provide services that assist in the development and maintenance of democracy. These have since been adopted as a part of the African Charter on Broadcasting adopted by media practitioners and media freedom activists who gathered in Windhoek under the auspices of UNESCO and MISA in May 2001 to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration of 1991. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted similar principles in their Declaration on Freedom of Expression in Africa in October 2002 . 4. Media Support Activities which form the basis of the fourth programme area seeks to enhance Media Accountability and Professionalism, Community Broadcasting and The MISA News Exchange. The first programme area of media accountability and professionalism seeks to assist the media in ensuring that media products are professionally provided and the media is accountable to the general citizenry and consumers of media products. It is the aim of this programme area to ensure that code of ethics and a self-regulatory system are established for each of the eleven countries in which MISA operates. The Community Broadcasting programme is an initiative to assist in the establishment of community broadcasting stations in the region. The News Exchange which started in 1994, will continue and be extended to include a Portuguese language exchange and a ‘rip and read’ service for broadcasting stations most of which do not have resources to gather news. 5. Over the years, MISA has assisted media practitioners and houses with legal fees to enable them to engage lawyers for their defence in courts of law, mostly brought against them by the State. The majority of cases concern criminal defamation, which is still quite prevalent in the region. The Legal Support programme area is the subject of assistance MISA plans to continue to give to media houses and practitioners who may find themselves under such situations. The major element of this programme area is the plan to establish a Legal Defence Fund in each of the countries where MISA operates. So This Is Democracy? 2003 162 Media Institute of Southern Africa