M

F

M

F

Victory

Threatened

Sentenced

Others

Legislated

Killed

Expelled

Detained

Bombed

Beaten
GENDER

Censored

Gender disaggregated alerts by country/violation: 2003

M

F

M

F

M

F

M

F

M

F

M

F

M

F

M

F

M

F

Angola

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Botswana

3

-

-

-

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Lesotho

2

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Malawi

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Mozambique

2

-

-

-

3

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

-

1

-

Namibia

2

-

-

-

2

-

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

3

-

-

South Africa

-

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Swaziland

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Tanzania

3

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Zambia

-

-

-

-

3

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

5

-

-

-

Zimbabwe

12

2

1

1

9

1

37

11

2

-

-

-

2

-

1

-

-

-

6

1

2

-

As per the objectives of MISA’s Strategic Partnership Programme document: April 1, 2002 –
March 31, 2005, the media monitoring programme for the first time in 2003 produced gender
disaggregated alerts. This information, besides providing statistical data in terms of violations
perpetrated against male and female journalists, allows MISA to distin guish between the nature of
such violations and is critical in the organisation’s planning of support strategies for journalists
However, MISA has not yet achieved a fault -free monitoring system – some violations have
fallen through the cracks, particularly in certain countries where MISA's presence has been weak.
MISA therefore seeks to expand and refine its function of monitoring media and human rights
violations.
During 2001 MISA employed a two-pronged strategy to improve and strengthen its important
media monitoring activity – its core business, i.e. MISA permanently employed Information
Officers at all national chapters and secondly, undertook extensive training to ensure that newly
appointed information officers are able to generate and issue accurate alerts and undertake regular
analysis and updates on media freedom violations. These strategies have borne fruit in that MISA
has, in the last two years, shown more consistency in its media freedom monitoring.
Nonetheless, it must be noted that skills levels of Information Officers vary and much
consideration should be given to the working environment and organisational support given to
information officers. The fact that MISA Swaziland has only issued three (3) alerts in 2003
despite amplified polit ical tension and threats of negative media law reform, necessitates that the
chapter and the regional secretariat review its media freedom monitoring activities in Swaziland.
MISA Lesotho, MISA Zambia, MISA Tanzania and MISA Zimbabwe have successfully
developed networks of media monitors outside of their immediate offices to ensure that media
freedom violations both receive more attention and certainly greater condemnation.
In addition, MISA Zimbabwe has developed a monthly Media Alert Digest which is widely
distributed and ensures increased access to information relating to media violations in the

MISA Annual Report (April 2003 – March 2004)

37

Select target paragraph3