selves with the ruling elite. The Swazi Observer, a royalist newspaper, purged its Editor–in-Chief who dared to give column space to several progressive groups. The daily paper, which many rightly view as a pure propaganda machine for the royal family, also suspended two editors for not adhering to its ‘original’ mandate. On the other hand, the Times of Swaziland publisher has allowed commercial interests to take precedence over editorial independence. After his managing editor jumped ship to join the Swazi Observer, he recalled his former managing editor – now beholden to the higher authorities – from the Prime Minister’s Office, where he served as Head of Secretariat for the SMART Partnership Office. Left in this exposed state, the print media are easily manipulated by the ruling elite. Interference, censorship, assault, harassment and intimidation are all common. In short, Swazi citizens are being denied their right to freedom of expression and information, thanks largely to the symbiotic relationship between government, business and media owners. 6WDWHRI0HGLD Struggling from the global economic meltdown as well as severe internal financial troubles, Swaziland has seen only one new entrant into the media industry. In August 2012, Blankly Investments (Pty) Ltd started a monthly magazine called Agribusiness. Endorsed by the Ministry of Agriculture and the farming community at large, it specialises in agriculture news. It has joined another periodical, The Nation, which focuses mainly on socio-economic and political issues. Published by the Swaziland Independent Publishers (Pty) Ltd, it remains the pulse of the country’s news analysis. The Times of Swaziland Group of Newspapers and Observer Group of Newspapers remain the two dominant players in the newspaper industry. The former publishes the Times of Swaziland, Swazi News and Times of Swaziland Sunday. The latter publishes Swazi Observer and Weekend Observer. There are also two weekly tabloids namely the Swazi Mirror and Ingwazi News. As fairly new entrants, these tabloids are struggling to attract advertising. The same applies to the broadsheet Business Sunday. Their future looks bleak, as 6R7KLVLV'HPRFUDF\"