"This report provides an assessment of the reporting trends in the coverage of COVID-19 in nine SADC countries. The countries are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Stories published between 1 January and 30 June 2021 were selected from 38 news websites from the different countries. COVID-19 has remained on the media's news agenda and journalists have continued to extensively cover the different aspects of the pandemic. The media however continued to focus on hard news on the pandemic, with most news articles based on statements by government officials. Media continued to report mostly on the numbers of COVID-19. While these figures are important, the media is also encouraged to report more on qualitative aspects of the pandemic, including beliefs, culture and religion that drive citizens' behavior around the pandemic." (Executive summary)