A May 18, 2007 posting on the International Journalists' Network [1] website shares information about a new emergency fund to help journalists affected by state repression of media in Southern Africa.

The release reads:

There is new help for journalists who face the wrath of repressive governments in Southern Africa. Thanks to donations from colleagues, a regional media group recently established the Journalists Under Fire Fund.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) set up the fund using contributions from journalists and activists at a May 16 conference in Cape Town, the African press network RAP 21 reported. The institute—which continues to seek long-term funding for the program—said the emergency defense fund is for those “who fall victim to growing state repression of media” in the region.

The fund is set aside for the most difficult cases in countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). MISA said it would provide assistance for severe incidents ranging from assault and arrest to assassination. When a case might set a new legal precedent, the fund could also provide emergency legal assistance.

For more information about the fund, contact Zoe Titus, coordinator of the MISA Media Freedom Monitoring Program, at research@misa.org [2].

RAP 21: http://www.rap21.org/ [3].
MISA: http://www.misa.org/ [4].

Click here to view the release on the International Journalists' Network website. [5]