https://zimbabwe.misa.org Strategies for Internet Technology and Digital Rights Reporting It is important to note that any media that is operating in a market-driven environment does not (in the words of McManus, 1994:218) , ‘serve the primary purpose of news, which is to explain how the environment is working so that citizens are empowered to make good decisions, particularly civic decisions.’ Be that as it may, such a market-driven status quo can present an opportunity for organisations doing advocacy to leverage their advertising muscle and develop relationships with key media stakeholders to amplify stories relating to internet, technology and digital rights, for example through the publishing of sponsored articles. However there are still drawbacks particularly in countries where the dominant media is state-controlled. This is because state-controlled media are likely to censor any advertorial material that does not align with the political interests they are serving. In Southern African countries like Zambia50 and Mozambique51, for instance, government has been known to threaten to or actually withhold advertising to private media as punishment for reportage they don’t like. serve the primary purpose of news, which is to explain how the environment is working so that citizens are empowered to make good decisions, particularly civic decisions. 50 African Media Barometer 2017 https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/africa-media/14071.pdf [Accessed 17 September 2020] 51Freedom in the World 2020, Mozambique https://freedomhouse.org/country/mozambique/freedom-world/2020 [Accessed 17 September 2020] 23