SECTOR 1 1.10 Civil society in general and media lobby groups actively advance the cause of media freedom. Participants felt that in general civil society does not actively lobby for media freedom. The recent termination of the phone-in programmes on the SBIS radio service is a case in point: it has not elicited a public outcry. Neither have citizens been vocal about having to pay higher fees for airtime. The Swaziland chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Swaziland) is the primary media organisation that actively lobbies for media freedom. It also conducts workshops for media practitioners and other stakeholders on the importance of ensuring that this right is upheld. “Other organisations, like SNAT and the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations (SCCCO), try to advocate around the issue and support MISA in its work, although the environment is not very conducive for this.” The Swaziland Editors Forum was described by participants as not being a “progressive group” in this regard. “Most civil society organisations (CSOs) advocate for the respect of human rights in general, and don’t have systematic or sustained support on thematic areas, such as access to information. They tend to lobby sporadically and are more reactive than proactive in their activities.” Campaigning for media freedom tends to happen on an individual organisation basis, and practising journalists are not a vocal presence in this regard. MISA Swaziland, for example, has advocated for the release of Makhubu and Maseko in terms of freedom of expression, but other media groups, including the Swaziland Editors Forum, have not united in support of the pair. “It is disappointing for CSOs. We felt that media organisations should co-ordinate the lobbying for Makhubu and Maseko’s freedom, and we should support them as a united force. However, apart from MISA, mainstream media organisations such as the Swaziland National Association of Journalists (SNAJ), have been missing in action.” “It is hypocritical of us as practising journalists to condemn CSOs for not acting if we are not doing anything ourselves. The Makhubu case presented us with valuable opportunities which we did not take up.” The reduction of Makhubu’s sentence (see indicator 1.1) has been attributed more to external pressure being placed on the state by the European Union, United Kingdom MPs and the United States’ legal fraternity, than by the lobbying efforts of Swazi citizens on the issue. 26 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Swaziland 2014