<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Dear all,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>The African Media Barometer (AMB) Malawi 2012</b> was conducted in 2012. Please see this link for the full PDF: <a href="http://www.fesmedia-africa.org/uploads/media/AMB_Malawi_2012.pdf">http://www.fesmedia-africa.org/uploads/media/AMB_Malawi_2012.pdf</a> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>The African Media Barometer (AMB) identifies and analyses the shortcomings and best practices in the legal as well as practical media environment of different African countries. Using a variety of African documents as a benchmark, the AMB can serve as a tool to lobby for media reform.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>The AMB Malawi revealed:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>The media environment in Malawi over the past two years can best be described as a twin tale. This because the country has experienced two presidents with very different ideas of how the country should be run. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>Until his death in April 2012, president Bingu wa Mutharika had presided over a country with an ailing economy and declining democratic culture whose consequence was the attempt to limit freedom of expression and restrict media freedom. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>This decline became pronounced in July 2011 when Malawians took to the streets to protest but with such devastating consequence in the death of at least twenty protestors who were shot dead by police. For the media, threats of government advertising withdrawal, physical attack and surveillance had to be endured, if not survived. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>Beyond April 2012, Malawi has been engulfed by a sense of hope but also cynicism. Hope because soon after assuming office, the government of president Joyce Banda immediately instituted key reforms which resulted in partial restoration of donor confidence and critical aid. The media highlight was, of course, the repeal of the draconian Section 46 of the Penal Code which previously empowered a Minister of Information to ban any publication as s/he saw fit. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>The cynicism – and it is growing – comes from the fact that although there have been all these dramatic changes in Malawi, for most citizens, the earth has not exactly moved underneath. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>This report captures both that hope and perilous uncertainty as reflected within the media-space. However, if there is anything that stands out here, it is the resilience of Malawian media and its impressive capability to always rise above stubborn social, economic and political challenges – most of which are self-inflicted – and still play its watchdog role. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US>Enjoy the read!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>If you would like to read up on the AMBs or explore AMBs of other countries please see our website: <a href="http://www.fesmedia-africa.org/home/what-we-do/africa-media-barometer-amb/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fesmedia-africa.org/home/what-we-do/africa-media-barometer-amb/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US>Please do not hesitate to contact me or my colleague Helvi Elago (<a href="mailto:helvi@fesmedia.org"><span style='color:blue'>helvi@fesmedia.org</span></a>) should you have any questions.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US>Kind regards,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US>Nora<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#17365D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>-------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#17365D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Nora Thoma <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Programme Officer<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=DE style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Friedrich Ebert Stiftung<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=DE style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>fesmedia Africa<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=DE style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=DE style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>P.O. Box 23652<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Windhoek<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Namibia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Switchboard Tel: +264-61-</span><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:red;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>417500 (Number has changed)</span><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Direct Tel.: +264-61-</span><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:red;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>417527 (Number has changed)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'>Fax.:+264-61-237 441<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><a href="http://www.fesmedia-africa.org"><span lang=FR style='color:blue'>www.fesmedia-africa.org</span></a></span><u><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'> <o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fesmedia.Africa"><span lang=FR style='color:blue'>https://www.facebook.com/fesmedia.Africa</span></a></span></u><u><span lang=EN-ZA style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'> </span></u><u><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB'> <o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>