As we commemorate World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) today, MISA Malawi calls on political parties and all electoral stakeholders to ensure that journalists are free and safe to effectively report on the September 16 general election.
The global theme for the WPFD 2025 is ‘Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Press Freedom and the Media’ highlighting AI-inspired opportunities and challenges on journalism and media freedom.
Our local theme is ‘Media for a well-informed electorate’ to spotlight the importance of free and independent media in ensuring free and fair elections and informed choices.
Due to their fragility, elections have the potential to provoke emotions and even violence and journalists are attacked in the line of duty. In the run up to the 2019 general election and the subsequent fresh presidential election in 2020, 14 journalists were either physically attacked or threatened during election-related activities.
Any physical or digital attack on journalists covering elections has the potential to deny voters and other stakeholders their right to know and limit effective participation in the electoral process. Safety and security of journalists covering elections is therefore important to ensure active citizen participation in the electoral process and broader participation in the development and governance process.
MISA Malawi also calls on the government to ensure that freedom of expression is protected during election. While we strongly believe in responsible expression, we are worried that Electronic Transactions and Cybersecurity Act of 2016 is frequently being used by police to arrest, convict and silence critical voices.
We further call on our members to professionally cover the general election by, among others, being impartial in the provision of media airtime and spaces to political parties and candidates.
MISA Malawi would like to urge everyone to protect the integrity of electoral information by fighting the spread of false information. This includes the responsible use of AI. False information is a threat to effective participatory democracy and has the potential to disturb peace in an emotive process such as election.
We wish everyone a Happy World Press Freedom Day!
Media contacts
MISA Malawi Chairperson Golden Matonga
Cell: +265 99 616 9705 or email goldenmatonga@gmail.com
MISA Malawi National Director Aubrey Chikungwa
Cell: +265 999 327 311 or email info@misamalawi.org
