Individual scores: 			

MOZAMBIQUE
5; 5; 5; 5; 5; 5; 5; 5; 5; 5

Average score: 			

5.0

2.3.

Efforts are undertaken to increase the scope of circulation 		
of the print media, particularly to rural communities.

Analysis:
There has been no successful effort towards that objective. For instance, the State is the main shareholder of the Mozambique Airlines
(LAM), but does not offer any subsidy for the transport of newspapers. The importation of paper does not benefit from tax incentives
nor is it subjected to special duties. There are countries where their
national Parliaments have approved media incentives, especially in
relation to their wide distribution to the masses.
In Mozambique, the State does nothing towards that end which is
worsened by the fact that there are State district administrators
that are clearly hostile towards the presence of independent media
journalists in the territorial units under their jurisdiction. A citizen
who resides in the Province of Inhambane was “accused” by a State
administrator for reading the “SAVANA” and the “ZAMBEZE”, two
independent newspapers. At Zambézia Province level, such things
occur also at Provincial Government level.
The recently concluded “Project Media” from UNESCO, which was
co-financed by UNDP and the Mozambican Government, can be considered as an isolated effort towards such objective that ended up
to be a total failure. One of the points of such initiative was the
support to the independent print media. Also, it was foreseen the
establishment of Community Media Centres. For instance, one such
centre was established in Beira, capital city of the Sofala Province.
The situation in which the independent media operate shows that
the government does not have a proactive attitude towards such
media doing nothing towards their benefit and improvement. What
the government has is an inflexible attitude towards this sector (the
African Media Barometer - Mozambique 2007			

9

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