State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 BOMBED - This includes incidents where a home of a journalist or the office of a media house/outlet/organisation is sabotaged through bombing, arson, vandalism, theft, or is raided or occupied forcibly. The statistic given is for the number of media workers or media organisations involved. VICTORY - This is self-explanatory in terms of its implication for the media, but involves different types of incidents. Some incidents falling under this category have immediate implications for individual media workers or media organisations (being released unconditionally, having charges dropped, winning or avoiding civil litigation, overturning gagging orders and acquittal on criminal charges), while others have broad implications that advance media freedom, access to information or freedom of expression in general (favourable policy statements from public officials, the adoption of media-friendly laws or policies, favourable and precedent-setting court judgements, and favourable procedures and decisions by statutory or other bodies dealing with matters of media content or freedom of expression). The statistics given is for the number of incidents reported under this category. CENSORED - This is where information is suppressed or prevented from being published, or where media workers are somehow or other prevented from getting their information out. It involves straight forward censorship such as a banning, a gagging order, order for excisions, preventing the publication of information through legislative restrictions, e.g. public officials or the courts, and interdicts, court orders or civil litigation resulting in the suppression of information. It also involves a publication or broadcaster or programme being shut down or suspended, as well as incidents where equipment and/or materials are confiscated. The statistic given is for the number of media workers or media organisations involved. KILLED - This tops the list in terms of severity, and there is no need to explain why. Included under this category, however, are incidents where journalists have been kidnapped or gone missing, and have disappeared. For the purpose of this publication, that means that any incidents involving the latter will add to the statistics of this category. The statistic given is for the number of media workers involved, as opposed to the number of incidents reported. SENTENCED - This is when a judgement is handed down against a media worker involving either a prison term or a fine. The statistic given is for the number of media workers involved. DETAINED - This involves a media worker being put behind bars. It can be legal or illegal and includes being sentenced to a jail term or being detained (without charge, incommunicado, preventative, arrest). The statistic given is for the number of media workers involved. OTHER - These are incidents which do not necessarily involve the media, but which affect aspects of freedom of expression or speech in general. These can involve cases of sedition against a member of the public, a general curb on free speech, parliamentary speech or access to information (e.g. matters involving the internet, pornography, hate speech, political speech), a violation of the right to freedom of assembly and protest, or an incident relating to artistic or academic freedom. Incidents involving the media, which do fall under this category, involve that of media pluralism (a publication closing down because of financial reasons) or incidents involving access to the public media. The statistic given is for the number of incidents reported under this category. So This Is Democracy? 2003 2 Media Institute of Southern Africa