CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 2009). Consistent with normative collaboration, one could argue that African state media must always be oriented towards serving the public interest or greater good of society as spelt out in national constitutions and other frameworks. Nonetheless, for the media to be able to perform these roles, an enabling socio-political and economic environment is imperative. Such an "...for the media to be able to perform these roles, an enabling socio-political and economic environment is imperative." environment must be adaptive and flexible to cushion news media from the occasional shocks imposed by crises, ongoing transformations spawned by technological developments, and the shifting experiences of ‘audiencehood’ by citizens. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how quickly the media’s sustainability can be threatened during a crisis (see Santos and Mare 2021; Radcliffe 2020). Likewise, how easily legislation to restrict the media’s operations and access to information by audiences can be deployed during a crisis (see Mawarire 2020). The prevalent criminalisation of misinformation by several African countries during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic showed the authoritarian potency of restrictive legislation inherited from colonial administrations and the pullback factors provided for in national constitutions when expediency dictates such deployment. During crisis conditions, such restrictions seem legitimate or are legitimised in terms of the threat posed, albeit with an impact on citizens’ agency, as access to information becomes restricted. Thus, without an enabling and open socio-political environment, it is difficult for the media to operate as a function of democratic processes. Therefore, a consistent, systematic and contextual appraisal of these conditions is imperative, hence the importance of the African Media Barometer (AMB), published by fesmedia Africa in partnership with the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). 3 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER 11 YEARS IN REVIEW