MISA has also annually published its State of Media Freedom in 11 SADC countries, which is print version of its daily media monitoring reports which are also distributed using an e-mail list server and also posted to the MISA website making the information available to researchers especially those that use such information for analysis and further publishing.

MISA, in collaboration with its partner, Gender Links, conducted the Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) in 12 SADC countries during September 2002 and published the results in March 2003, creating the most comprehensive such study ever undertaken in the whole world. National studies were later launched in all SADC countries, except Angola and national chapters have since held workshops during which national action plans were made and activities to address the findings identified.

One salient point made by the study was that, despite women constituting 51% of the regions' population, they only constitute 17% of news sources. Another finding of the GMBS shows that 89% of the men speaking in both the print and broadcasting media were mainly politicians - in positions of prominence or formal authority. The SADC media still has to confront issues of gender inequality in their own set ups and to ensure that gender sensitive in-house policies are put in place.

MISA has also contributed to the body of advocacy materials on broadcasting through its “Open the Waves” advocacy information package developed and made available for those involved in advocating for the regulation of the broadcast sector. MISA was also instrumental in the adoption of the African Charter on Broadcasting (ACB), adopted in Windhoek during the MISA co-organized (with UNESCO) conference to the 10 th Anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration in May 2001. The ACB has since been used a as twin to the Windhoek Declaration and its provisions incorporated in the African Commission of Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) Declaration on Freedom of Expression in Africa adopted in October 2002.

A further area of achievement is the advocacy work done by MISA Zambia in the campaign for adoption of legislation bringing into existence of the Independent Broadcasting Authority and the amendment of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation Act transforming the national broadcasters into a public service one. These achievements have spurred other National Chapters to engage their legislatures in advocating for transformation of their national broadcasters to public service ones as provided by the ACHPR declaration.

Other successes in the broadcasting sector include the preparation of a broadcasting policy by the Botswana government after extensive consultations with stakeholders throughout the country. The policy is now awaiting statutory approval before implementation. Included in the policy is the principle of establishing an independent broadcasting regulatory authority and the transformation of the current state-control broadcasting services into public services.

On the professionalisation of the media, MISA has scored some successes, especially in Botswana where the government has accept the principle of self-regulation after threatening the media with a statutory media council over many years. The media has since established a press council which has now started operations. Similar success was also made in Zambia where the government accepted the principle of self-regulation and the Media Council of Zambia was established and is now operational

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