Media Institute of Southern Africa : Promoting Media Diversity . Pluralism . Self-Sufficiency . Independence

developing countries. Between 1994 and 2003 MISA has recorded 1 521 individual violations against media practitioners and institutions in the SADC region.

The visible results of MISA's media freedom monitoring is the daily Internet dissemination of Action Alerts, publication of some of the alerts in its quarterly magazine, ‘The Free Press' and annual publication of all the alerts issued over a calendar year in a book always cynically entitled: ‘So this is Democracy?'.

The alerts consist of concise reports of media freedom violations that have taken place in the various countries of the SADC region, and contain recommendations for follow-up action. Numerous updates on alerts are also issued. These alerts are automatically forwarded to the IFEX Clearing House in Toronto , Canada , for further international dissemination.

The general rationale is that international media freedom and freedom of expression organisations, and others within countries and regions with the capacity, will follow-up these reports by providing solidarity and assistance within their means and policies to victims of these violations. At the same time international awareness and more knowledge is created about the suppression of media and other forms of freedom of expression in many countries of the world.

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