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About [Edit]
The Media Institute of Southern Africa [MISA] is a non-governmental organisation with members in 11 of the Southern Africa Development Community [SADC] countries. Officially launched in September 1992, MISA focuses primarily on the need to promote free, independent and pluralistic media, as envisaged in the 1991 Windhoek Declaration.
MISA seeks ways in which to promote the free flow of information and co-operation between media workers, as a principal means of nurturing democracy and human rights in Africa. The role of the MISA is primarily one of a coordinator, facilitator and communicator, and for this reason MISA aims to work together with all like-minded organisations and individuals to achieve a genuinely free and pluralistic media in southern Africa.
Mission
The mission of MISA is to play a leading role in creating an environment of media freedom and free expression that promotes independence, pluralism and diversity of views and opinions, media sustainability, competency and professionalism in the southern African region. In dealing with these elements, MISA will ensure that gender-specific needs form an integral part of all its activities. MISA aims to create an environment in which civil society is empowered to claim information and access to it as unalienable rights and in which the resultant freer information flow strengthens democracy by enabling more informed citizen participation.
The objective of MISA is to lobby for promotion and protection of media freedom and free expression. It is also to strengthen and support the development of a vibrant, professional and participatory media sector as an essential part of the deepening of democracy in southern Africa.
MISA-ZIMBABWE'S WORK
From 2000 up to 2002, MISA-Zimbabwe's work centred on lobbying parliament and policy makers on media law reform. However, the parliamentary process has been subverted and blatantly unconstitutional laws have been forced through parliament. The BSA, AIPPA and the ZBC Commercialisation Act were passed without any consultation whatsoever and our submissions to government were ignored. In late 2002, MISA-Zimbabwe realised that although it needs to continue its lobby and advocacy at the policy level, the situation in the country also demands more effective strategies. We then decided to marry the policy intervention with raising public awareness on media issues.
Many people in Zimbabwe are not aware of issues pertaining to freedom of expression and the right to information. We realised that it was important for MISA-Zimbabwe to begin building a critical mass around media issues. People in Zimbabwe need to demand for their rights to freedom of expression, however they can only do this if they are aware of laws that impinge on their rights.
MISA seeks ways in which to promote the free flow of information and co-operation between media workers, as a principal means of nurturing democracy and human rights in Africa. The role of the MISA is primarily one of a coordinator, facilitator and communicator, and for this reason MISA aims to work together with all like-minded organisations and individuals to achieve a genuinely free and pluralistic media in southern Africa.
Mission
The mission of MISA is to play a leading role in creating an environment of media freedom and free expression that promotes independence, pluralism and diversity of views and opinions, media sustainability, competency and professionalism in the southern African region. In dealing with these elements, MISA will ensure that gender-specific needs form an integral part of all its activities. MISA aims to create an environment in which civil society is empowered to claim information and access to it as unalienable rights and in which the resultant freer information flow strengthens democracy by enabling more informed citizen participation.
The objective of MISA is to lobby for promotion and protection of media freedom and free expression. It is also to strengthen and support the development of a vibrant, professional and participatory media sector as an essential part of the deepening of democracy in southern Africa.
MISA-ZIMBABWE'S WORK
From 2000 up to 2002, MISA-Zimbabwe's work centred on lobbying parliament and policy makers on media law reform. However, the parliamentary process has been subverted and blatantly unconstitutional laws have been forced through parliament. The BSA, AIPPA and the ZBC Commercialisation Act were passed without any consultation whatsoever and our submissions to government were ignored. In late 2002, MISA-Zimbabwe realised that although it needs to continue its lobby and advocacy at the policy level, the situation in the country also demands more effective strategies. We then decided to marry the policy intervention with raising public awareness on media issues.
Many people in Zimbabwe are not aware of issues pertaining to freedom of expression and the right to information. We realised that it was important for MISA-Zimbabwe to begin building a critical mass around media issues. People in Zimbabwe need to demand for their rights to freedom of expression, however they can only do this if they are aware of laws that impinge on their rights.
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