REGIONAL SADC JOURNALISTS UNDER FIRE CAMPAIGN Regional Programme Goal Establishment of a region where there are no media freedom violations and the media operates freely without political, commercial and economic interference • Time-efficient and effective identification, analysis and exposure of each violation of media freedom and right to information in the 11 SADC countries Regional Programme • SADC Journalists under Fire campaign objective: To expose the persecution of journalists in the SADC region, provide Objectives practical support to victims and advocate for an enabling environment for media freedom and freedom of expression PERFORMANCE INDICATORS REGIONAL OBJECTIVE MAJOR ACTIVITIES REMARK/COMMENTS (ACTUAL/ACHIEVED) 5. SADC Journalists Under Fire campaign 5.1 Regional information tour to lobby • Regional tour of six countries A delegation from Zimbabwe undertook a To expose the persecution of journalists key policy makers and civic society • Advocacy and information section, blitz publicity campaign at the end of in the SADC region, provide practical organisations to support advocacy September/beginning October 2003. with resource materials on Zimbabwe support to victims and advocate for an and lobbying activities for media was developed and made available Countries visited included Botswana, enabling environment for media freedom reform in Zimbabwe Malawi, Namibia , South Africa, Tanzania online. and freedom of expression 5.2 Preparation of support materials and Zambia. These countries were 5.3 Online publication of Zimbabwe selected because of their strategic • Advocacy and information packages media crisis with support materials importance in SADC and their potential to (hard copy) were made available to giving insight into: positively influence the human rights delegations for distribution. • The application of the repressive situation in Zimbabwe. Access to Information and The Zimbabwean delegations were made Protection of Privacy Act in up of working journalists, editors, MISA conjunction with the Public office bearers, media lawyers and civil Order and Security Act society activists. Delegates were selected • The subversion of the judiciary on the basis of their credibility and ability • Misinformation campaign on to speak authoritatively on media Zimbabwean land reform freedom, freedom of expression and • Use of hate speech in the media socio-economic issues. • Registration of journalists MISA national chapters arranged series of • Harassment of private media press conferences and interviews, as well workers as meetings with, among others, media • Subversion of the public media’s organisations, press clubs, ministers of Information, Foreign Affairs and other responsibilities • Need for broadcasting reforms ministries of strategic importance. They also addressed a number of public discussion forums. This regional publicity/lobby tour is seen as one of MISA’s major successes in 2003. There was tremendous interest and coverage of the tour. MISA learnt a great deal from the experience and intends to follow it up with a similar activity. MISA Annual Report (April 2003 – March 2004) 50