SCORES:
dividual scores: 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.
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 media). Government
used to have until recently a newspaper called “O Campo” (The Countryside) whose periodicity
was a guess. Whenever this newspaper was published it would not reach the rural areas.
The organisations operating in the print media sector are also part of the problem, because they
are not seen to be properly organized. There is an organization that supposedly should do everything to improve the sector and that is the Association of Newspaper Companies (Associação
das Empresas Jornalísticas) known as AEJ. However its action is negligible.
SCORES:
Individual scores: 2; 2; 2; 3; 2; 3; 1; 2; 1; 1
Average score: 1.9

2.4.

Broadcasting legislation has been passed and is implemented
that provides for a conducive environment for public, commercial
and community broadcasting.

Analysis:
In 1992, one year after the approval and implementation of the Media Law, a decree on the
access to frequencies detailing its conditions, was approved by the Council of Ministers (CM)
which is in fact the Government of Mozambique. Apart from that no other legislation exists.
There is a National Information Policy that was approved in 1996 and that has no regulating
power. The public sector media [Radio Mozambique (RM) and Television of Mozambique
So This Is Democracy? 2007

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Media Institute of Southern Africa

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