STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2022 threats from politicians. For example, freelance journalist Simba Sithole reportedly received threats over a story he wrote on alleged corruption in Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe’s Mazowe West constituency. A person called the journalist and threatened to “deal with him on social media”. News stories from small towns barely get any prominence in the mainstream media or online media. Broadcasters barely cover most rural areas, particularly border towns that have to rely on broadcasts from foreign countries for their news. Newspaper companies also do not have the reach to distribute their products in small towns and rural areas. This means that communities in these areas are denied their right to access verified and credible information. Unfortunately, this vacuum is often filled by gossip, innuendo, misinformation and disinformation. THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 COVID-19 has forced the Zimbabwean media to reinvent itself for purposes of sustainability. Media have become more active on digital platforms in order to reach out to their audiences and there are numerous radio stations that have taken advantage of live streaming platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to monetise their services. With the decline in advertising revenue during the pandemic many news platforms had to lay off their correspondents and rely on a small team of core staff. Digitally savvy platforms like the Magamba network have managed to grow during this period, as shown by the establishment of the Open Parly and Council platforms, which do not rely solely on traditional forms of revenue, but also access grant based funding. This approach seemingly prevents capture by political or commercial interests. References ZIMBABWE: MEDIA LAW REFORM AGENDA STALLS AS CIVIC SPACE SHRINKS (1) Zimbabwe’s looming Patriot Bill cause for great concern https://zimbabwe.misa.org/2020/10/14/zimbabwes-looming-patriot-bill-cause-for-great-concern/ (2) SC 14-13 - CHIMAKURE & ORS v THE AG OF ZIMBABWE https://www.veritaszim.net/node/946 (3) Zimbabwe’s PVO Amendment Bill would criminalise work of civil society organisations https://ifex.org/zimbabwes-pvo-amendment-bill-would-criminalise-work-of-civil-society-organisations/ (4) UN Special Rapporteur raps NGO laws https://misa.org/blog/un-special-rapporteur-raps-ngo-laws/ (5) Government grants new TV licences, diversity concerns linger https://zimbabwe.misa.org/2020/11/20/government-grants-new-tv-licences-diversity-concerns-linger (6) Zimbabwe: President’s Relative Takes 30% Stake In Trevor Ncube’s Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) https://broadcastmediaafrica.com/zimbabwe-presidents-relativetakes-30-stake-in-trevor-ncubes-alpha-media-holdings-amh (7) Media Capture In Zimbabwe : Fact Or Fiction? https://mazw.org.zw/media-capture-in-zimbabwe-fact-or-fiction/ (8) Potraz Q4 2022 ICT sector report is out, internet penetration reaches 65.3%, and there’s more https://www.techzim.co.zw/2023/04/potraz-q4-2022-report-outinternet-penetration-now-65-3-theres-more/ (9) WhatsApp IS the internet in Zimbabwe, accounts for 34% of mobile internet traffic https://www.techzim.co.zw/2016/03/whatsapp-internet-zimbabwe-accounts-34-mobile-internet-traffic/ (10) Statement on the recently reported internet throttling in Zimbabwe https://www.africafex.org/censorship/statement-on-the-recently-reported-internet-throt- tling-in-zimbabwe (11) Running in Circles: Uncovering the Clients of Cyberespionage Firm Circles https://citizenlab.ca/2020/12/running-in-circles-uncovering-the-clients-of-cyberespionage-firm-circles/ (12) Arbitrary social media surveillance cause for concern (13) MISA demands enquiry over Zanu PF’s ED texts to voters https://www.newzimbabwe.com/https-www-newzimbabwe-com-misa-demands-enquiry-over-zanu-pfsed-texts-to-voters/ (14) WIN Leadership Mapping Global report https://cdn.womeninnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WIN-Leadership-Mapping-Report_Updated.pptx.pdf (15) Disciplining the Digital public sphere: Understanding Zimbabwe’s fast evolving social media landscape https://fesmedia-africa.fes.de/news/disciplining-the-digital-public-sphere-understanding-zimbabwes-fast-evolving-social-media-landscape 72