STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2022 MALAWI: CHALLENGES OUTWEIGH PROGRESS IN MEDIA LAW REFORM decision to shut down broadcast media outlets for non-payment of the exorbitant annual licence fees set by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA). Numerous appeals were made by media houses asking for a grace period that would allow them to recover from financial difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.(1) Alongside the constriction of media and civic space, the government provided moments of triumph. By Teresa Temweka Chirwa-Ndanga INTRODUCTION D URING 2022, press freedom violations in Malawi increased, with the government attempting to restrict press freedom and intimidate journalists and media practitioners. Even more staggering was the government’s 46 For the first time in the history of Malawi, a sitting president celebrated World Press Freedom Day through an engagement with journalists to understand their concerns. In November 2022, parliament amended Malawi’s Penal Code by repealing sections 50, 51, 52 and 53, which provided for seditious intention, seditious offences, forfeiture of machine and prohibition of publication and legal proceedings on sedition.(2) LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS