SECTOR 2 According to a survey carried out by the NCB, 60 percent of Mauritians do not consider it important to access or use internet. This finding goes against the desire of the Mauritian government to become a cyber island. The government intends to introduce computers at post offices for people to access and use easily. There are internet cafes in major towns and cities, but not in rural areas. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.4 (2008 =n/a) 2.10 Government does not use its power over the placement of advertisements as a means to interfere with editorial content. Government adspend is used as a weapon or reward, depending on the position of the media organisation in relation to the government of the day. The funding for government advertising is released through the Government Information Service - a department which operates directly under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office. There are media that survive solely on government advertising, and numerous media organisations have gone out of business simply because of a change of government or withdrawal of advertising. Media houses are continuously threatened by government to dismiss journalists and editors whose writing is regarded as anti-government. Advertising is withdrawn if the suggestion is not complied with. The Editor-in-Chief of Le Matinal is regarded as a man close to the Prime Minister and he has used this belief to maintain a firm grip on his position. It is AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MAURITIUS 2010 33