SECTOR 4

about – or deliberate ignoring of - the basics of the trade, often result in a curious
kind of effect, though: Journalists on an editorial team who “belong” to a political
movement will each work hard at defending their respective side by giving it the
best possible coverage. Hence, an ‘impartiality’ of sorts appears to be maintained
by virtue of the various political stances balancing each other out.
On the electronic media, technical constraints such as observing deadlines often
compel journalists to broadcast only the main excerpts from their interviews,
depending on their story angle. This will reduce the time allowed to other speakers,
and the public might then erroneously equate this to an “attempt at censorship”.

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: 			

2.0 (2006 = 2.9; 2008 = 2.5)

4.3
The media cover the full spectrum of events,
issues and cultures, including business/economics,
cultural, local and investigative stories.
There is little diversity in regard to content, but the different editorial lines of
media outlets do provide readers/listeners with varying angles. The music played
on air reflects the diversity of Malagasy society.
The public increasingly appreciates documentaries, feature stories, and features
on the regions. The media are trying, to the extent of their ability, to meet these
expectations. In the broadcast media, the private channel TV Plus is making a
name for itself with its special programmes on touristic and cultural destinations
(“Ny any aminay”, e.g.), focusing on national and historic events. In the print
media, the daily newspaper l’Express regularly features regional events.

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AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR 2010

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