2. State of the media in Southern Africa, 2003: So this is Democracy? The Daily News and Daily News on Sunday were closed down on September 12 2003 on charges that it was publishing illegally without a state licence. It published again for one day on October 25 2003 and early in 2004. In February 2004 the government appointment Media and Information Commission denied Daily News journalists accreditation to practice. The newspaper, the largest circulating daily and one of the few independent publications in Zimbabwe, has since closed its doors. Photo AP. “ The reason for the demise of the Daily News is the promulgation of one of the most effective legal instruments of state control over the media and civil society communication anywhere in the world – the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). Ironically, the misleadingly named AIPPA in significant respects substantively obstructs the release of official information to the public from the state, because the law classifies huge swathes of this information as secret. ” So this is Democracy? 2003 MISA Annual Report (April 2003 – March 2004) 6