32 Botswana protective equipment was supplied by employers, however that was not the case in countries such as Malawi, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe (32). remote working likely affected female journalists more than their male counterparts because seniority in media institutions affords benefits and preferential access to resources. • It was difficult for female journalists to gather news, particularly in countries were journalists were not classified as part of ‘essential services’ such as in Zimbabwe and South Africa (33). Thus (36) reporters who are more established (and most likely male) tended to have their own transport and equipment and fared better with remote working than journalists who were still junior (and mostly likely female). Since resources are more likely to be allocated by seniority, female journalists who occupy a low status in their newsrooms would have received less support in the form of data, airtime and equipment to gather news remotely whilst working from home. • Challenges faced by journalists such as lack of transport, equipment, high data costs and travel bans that prohibited inter provincial travel impacted negatively on news production under Covid-19 lockdown regulations, which affected media houses’ capacity to deliver news and triggered waves of retrenchments in various newsrooms that were already struggling financially – leaving skeletal staff with the task of newsgathering (37). • As Covid-19 continues to spread across Southern Africa, Amnesty International has reported that governments are targeting journalists and media houses that are critical of their handling of the pandemic (34). The targeting of journalists creates a difficult operating environment, which could deter female journalists from covering Covid-19 related information out of fear. The strong irony in this particular instance is that the health beat has traditionally been considered as one of the ‘softer’ news beats reserved for women. • Since the Covid-19 story is not just a health story female journalists who have mostly covered the health beat now possibly face competition from male journalists (who likely have more seniority) in the ‘hard’ news beats as they are more likely to be given high-profile Covid-19 related assignments. This may be a challenge where media institutions need to prioritise and allocate resources as male journalists (by virtue of seniority or gender biases such as a perception of greater competence) might be preferred. Such scenarios could also account for why it has mostly been male journalists that have been victims or targets of state-sanctioned harassment and intimidation in the censoring of Covid-19 related news within the region. Covid-19 is the biggest story in the newsrooms and it is mostly male journalists who are seemingly entrusted with telling it because (35) news coverage of Covid-19/coronavirus is mostly framed in hard factual terms, leaving little space for the human-centered journalistic approach. • Challenges relating to equipment for • Female journalists are likely more vulnerable to retrenchments and salary cuts as well as other measures to cut cost owing to the low status they occupy in media institutions, where decision-makers are mostly male and might be more inclined to save their own jobs first. The pandemic worsened working conditions for female journalists in traditionally difficult media environments such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho and Swaziland, with many incidences of harassment, intimidation and detention of journalists having been reported and where many female journalists face violence in a number of forms inclusive of sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace (as detailed in the country reports). The growing trend in violence against women journalists online, through attacks that are often gendered and sexualized is causing major damage to women’s participation online, as such female journalists sit at the epicentre of risk as the digital, psychological and physical safety threats confronting women journalist are overlapping, converging and inseparable (38). One study indicated that gender inequalities in media work deepened during the pandemic with female journalists highlighting increased stress from working in isolation, bullying from bosses, family caring and home schooling, domestic tensions, increased workload and the usual tight deadlines, long working hours, psychological impact of Covid-19 coverage, fear of job loss (39). In Southern Africa, women have little voice within the media industry owing to the low status they occupy in male-dominated newsrooms and