SECTOR 3

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:

1.0 (2005 = 1.0; 2007 = 1.0; 		
2009 = 1.2; 2011 = 1.0)

3.5 The editorial independence of the state/public
broadcaster from political influence is guaranteed by
law and practised to ensure balanced and fair news
and current affairs programmes.
The CRM, the internal laws and regulations of Rádio Moçambique (RM) and
Televisão de Moçambique (TVM), which include the public broadcasting sector,
guarantee editorial independence but in practice it is almost completely the
opposite.
In everything which is not of a political nature, both RM and TVM exercise
professional journalism, but in political advertisments and programmes this
cannot be seen. In the last few years, for example, it is common that, for political
debate programmes, both channels invite five or six people from a single political
party to speak about another party, their opponents, sometimes for two hours
at a time.
That which is universally established as being essential elements for the effective
transformation of state broadcasting into public broadcasting, particualrly at
the level of UNESCO, still cannot be seen in Mozambique, 20 years after formal
transformation [de jure]. What stands out from these elements is financing
through Parliament; the appointment of senior managers in public tenders
confirmed by Parliament and the election of civil society representatives for the
Board of Directors. None of this is seen in Mozambique, financing is channeled
directly by the government, through programme contracts which RM and TVM
sign with the Ministry of Finance, top managers are appointed by the Government
(due to the fact that these companies, initially, are regarded as public companies,
through the application of Law number 6/2012 of February 8 , which revokes
Law 17/91 of August 3 1991); civil society is not found to be represented on the
Boards of Directors of RM and TVM.

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MOZAMBIQUE 2014

97

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