STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2022 writing to the President over the issue. general’s office. WIth support from the MISA Regional Secretariat, MISA Malawi also organised a conference with the Malawian broadcast sector and government officials to discuss the closure of stations and concerns of the broadcasting sector in relation to payment of licence fees. During his six-hour detention, police demanded he reveal his source and also searched the PIJ’s office and confiscated Gondwe’s cellphone and laptop, forced him to disclose his passwords, and then returned his devices the following day. MEDIA INDEPENDENCE Radio broadcasting is dominated by the stateowned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation. The two public radio stations licensed to broadcast nationally, MBC- 1 and MBC 2, are both regulated by the 2016 Communications Act. In their World Press Freedom rankings, Reporters Without Borders explains: “most media operate on very tight budgets, which undermines their independence. Their financial survival often depends on what they are paid in return for providing political support. The practice of chimpondamthengo, under which reporters are paid for covering an event, is widespread. It gets its name from the symbolic remuneration offered to traditional doctors.”(3) SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY OF ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS The arrest of journalist Gregory Gondwe in 2022 highlighted Malawian state ability to use phone call logs to extract information. Gondwe, the managing director of investigative news website Platform for Journalists (PIJ) was arrested after he refused to disclose the source of a memo that was leaked from the attorney (4) As the International Press Institute reports: “a week after his arrest, the website of PIJ was hacked and taken offline by unknown entities. The police denied any involvement in the hacking incident.” GENDER AND THE MEDIA Reporting on a UNESCO study on women in the tech industry, Mali Kambandu, Communications and Knowledge Management Consultant at UNCDF indicated that: Cultural barriers in Malawi make it difficult for women to participate in the sector not only as consumers of digital products and services but also as suppliers. Women are most often expected to prioritise home and family needs with careers in technology and digital innovation seen as too time consuming. These traditional gender roles often lead to less participation of women in these sectors Lack of role models in the digital innovation sector. Despite three Malawian innovation hubs (mHub, Mzuzu e-Hub and Ntha Foundation) being founded or co-founded by young women, male dominance and cultural barriers have limited the number of female role models in the sector. Role models play a crucial role in inspiring other women and creating pathways for women to enter and participate in the sector without which fewer women and girls view digital innovation as a viable career path.(5) References MALAWI: CHALLENGES OUTWEIGH PROGRESS IN MEDIA LAW REFORM (1) Concern over the revocation of broadcasting licences in Malawi https://misa.org/blog/concern-over-the-revocation-of-broadcasting-licences-in-malawi/ (2) Malawian MPs decriminalise ‘insulting’ the ‘President’, https://www.africafex.org/freedom-of-expression/malawian-mps-decriminalise-insulting-the-president (3) Malawi https://rsf.org/en/country/malawi (4) Malawi journalist Gregory Gondwe detained, questioned about sources for article on alleged corruption, https://cpj.org/2022/04/malawi-journalist-gregory-gondwe-detained-questioned-about-sources-for-article-on-alleged-corruption/ (5) Are Women struggling to break into the digital in Malawi? https://www.uncdf.org/article/7574/are-malawis-women-struggling-to-break-into-the-digital-innova- tion-sector 48