The media has established its own voluntary Media Complaints Commission (MCC) which was registered as a non-profit company in June 2011. This marked the end of a 14-year struggle by the media to establish media self-regulation. The last attempt was prompted by government’s move to set up a statutory body through a Media Commission Bill. At first government refused to register the MCC, preferring instead to proceed with the statutory body. Government finally relented – for the time being. The struggle for more media freedom is hampered by a lack of support from organised civil society which often lacks an understanding of how the media operates, does not have much trust in the media or even believes that the media enjoys too much freedom. As an editor put it: “If anyone wants us to be brave, there must be more people out there willing to put their heads on the block with us. Many people use us to push an issue but then withdraw. If we are going to publish a story about the King buying new cars, others must stand by us when we do. Often we have found ourselves on our own.” Since the beginning of 2011, though, as the country’s political and economic problems mount, civil society and the public at large increasingly seem to appreciate the importance of free media. Teachers petition the state radio for greater access to the airwaves and newspaper readers are looking for stories which really affect their lives. There are noticeable attempts to improve the quality of journalism in both print and broadcast media in response to growing criticism and complaints from the public. Many media practitioners in Swaziland are doing their best to be good journalists, despite working under very difficult conditions. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SWAZILAND 2011 7