In February, reporter Dickson Kashoti of the private Daily Times was injured after being punched in the face three times by Member of Parliament Joseph Njobvuyalema. The politician, later sacked by parliament and sentenced to three months in prison on assault charges, had stormed the newsroom over a story about his actions following the arrest of his brother on murder charges.

In April, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MCRA) barred private radio stations from airing live broadcasts of political rallies without government permission. The directive effectively targeted leading private broadcasters Capital Radio, Joy Radio, and Zodiak Broadcasting over coverage of former President Bakili Muluzi, considered the most likely opposition challenger in the 2009 presidential elections. Malawi's High Court struck down the ruling on constitutional grounds shortly afterward.

In July, the High Court ruled that the MCRA was improperly constituted and ordered its members to stop work. The court found irregularities in President Bingu wa Mutharika's appointments to the agency.

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