Do the media report human rights well? If not, what would constitute "good" reporting of human rights issues? How should journalists and editors themselves judge the quality of their reporting in this area? What pressures and constraints do they face and how might they be managed better? In an effort to explore these questions, the International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP) conducted a two-year research project involving interviews with over 70 editors, journalists, and broadcasters working in major international media centres and extensive consultation with national and local media professionals in several countries.

Financial Gazette sub-editor Taungana Ndoro was last Sunday victimised by soldiers guarding the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s Mbare studios, who forced him to roll on the tarmac and in a pool of mud. Ndoro said he was waiting near the broadcasting station for his wife when a group of about six armed soldiers seized him and led him to their post at the studios.

A journalist from La Tempête des Tropiques newspaper and his wife have been arrested in Kinshasa. National Intelligence Agency (Agence nationale des renseignements) agents arrested Bamporiki Chamira, a journalist with a Kinshasa-based daily newspaper, and his wife at their Kinshasa home. They are being held at the Agence nationale des renseignements prison on Avenue ex-3Z in Kinshasa or Gombe.

Joining a growing trend, a South African government council recommended an official policy that promotes the use of open-source software - but stops short of jettisoning proprietary applications. The recommended policy for Africa's wealthiest nation expresses a preference for open-source applications when proprietary alternatives don't offer a compelling advantage. Other nations have taken more extreme positions, mandating the use of open-source software unless no other practical alternatives exist.

A project for the launch of Electronic Governance (E-Gov) in Angola is being prepared at the National Commission for Information Technologies. E-Gov will involve a generalised use of information technologies by the public administration in relations between the government and citizens as well as between government and enterprises.

In the preparatory discussions for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to take place in December, a rift has emerged between the visions aiming to put new technology at the service of business, or of citizens. The differences were evident from the beginning, in Monday's sessions of Prepcom-2 in Geneva, convened by the United Nations to discuss how to achieve greater equality in access to information and communications technology.

Individual telecenters have been shown to foster profound developmental outcomes within the communities they serve. Yet the role of telecenters in rural development and in the development of marginal urban areas is not clear. Moreover, there are many kinds of telecenters. Which telecenters are most successful in providing access to the poor and reducing rural poverty? Which business models work best? Do different countries and different kinds of communities require different types of telecenters and/or different business models? Why do so many Telecenters fail?

Jonathan Moyo refused to comment on weekend reports that President Thabo Mbeki had said Zimbabwe would change its tough media laws, following talks with South Africa and Nigeria. But his boss in the ruling Zanu PF politburo, Nathan Shamuyarira, was surprised at Moyo’s refusal to comment. The Zanu PF secretary for information and publicity said Moyo should comment "since he is the one who piloted the media law".

Human rights activists on Monday said the government's recent attack on Angola's private Radio Ecclesia, accusing it of practising "radio terrorism", was a setback for the fostering of democracy in the country.

The Regional Governing Council of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), at its meeting held in Johannesburg on February 11 and 12, 2003, noted with concern the fluctuating state of media freedom in southern Africa. In a statement, MISA recognised and celebrated the unique and positive developments recorded over the last eighteen months that have upheld media freedoms and freedom of expression in the region. "Unfortunately numerous negative incidents recorded in the same period grossly outnumber the positive developments," said MISA.

President Thabo Mbeki said that Zimbabwe had agreed that changes were needed in its media laws, which critics say are aimed at muzzling the press. South Africa has been criticised for taking a soft approach with the government of President Robert Mugabe, which has been slammed by the West on human rights issues against the backdrop of a collapsing economy and chronic food shortages.

The main opposition candidate in Nigeria's April presidential elections works in an environment of arcadian plenty that belies his reputation for harsh asceticism. Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator famous for launching an authoritarian "war on indiscipline", uses a government-owned office whose lush gardens yield mangos, guavas and pawpaws. The view of the building from the road is dominated by a strikingly expansive tree from whose branches brown pods hang like socks on a washing line.

In order to consult its members and associated bodies/organisations, as well as the wider international scientific and technological community, ICSU is hosting an on-line forum to develop its main input to the World Summit on the Information Society process from 10 to 28 February 2003.

Chali Nondo, a journalist from "The Monitor" newspaper, was released on police bond on 10 February 2003, (local time), after spending about three hours in police custody. On 5 February, Nondo was detained on a charge of "publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public".

If the current situation in Cote d'Ivoire prevails, half a million more people could be displaced over the next two months, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday.

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has issued a statement condemning the action taken by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) to discipline two of their players who protested against the ongoing human rights violations in the country. According to media reports, the ZCU suspended Henry Olonga and referred Andy Flower to the disciplinary committee for wearing black armbands during a world cup cricket match between Zimbabwe and Namibia in Harare on Monday February 10 2002. The black armbands were a sign of protest against the 'death of democracy' in Zimbabwe.

Three media workers were arrested on 14 February at the United Nations Offices in Harare. The three are Lloyd Mudiwa, a reporter with The Daily News, Aaron Ufumeli, a photographer with the same paper, and Tsvangirai Mukwazhi, a photographer for Associated Press. The police confiscated Ufumeli's camera and those of several other freelance journalists.

A draft Declaration on the Right to Communicate has been prepared by C. Hamelink (Hamelink Declaration) and endorsements of this Declaration are being sought. This note by ARTICLE 19 assesses the Hamelink Declaration both for compliance with international human rights standards, in particular relating to freedom of expression, and for the contribution it makes to further developing the right to communicate. ARTICLE 19 endorses, in principle, the idea of an authoritative elaboration of a right to communicate.

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) has formally launched it's new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Program Guidelines. We hereby invite organisations to engage with OSISA on developing effective proposals for ICT's and Development in Southern Africa.

IRIN PlusNews has launched a new service - the "Daily News Briefs". Sharply written, informative and original, the news briefs service was designed for use by radio stations. It is now available to regular subscribers who want a more comprehensive feed on HIV/AIDS news across Africa.