coverage afforded to Frelimo and the slant of the reporting. Furthermore, journalists and media executives have engaged in overtly partisan activities. citizen vulnerability in online space revealed a correlation between violence in the online environment and that promoted in the physical space. For instance, Atanásio Marcos, a lead anchor at the state television broadcaster TVM, openly campaigned for the Frelimo Party in Beira, donning the party’s campaign attire. According to that report, women are categorised as victims while men are primarily seen as perpetrators. Conclusion Similarly, José Guerra, CEO of TV Miramar, despite its private status, participated in the launch of the Frelimo candidate’s campaign in Maputo city, where he too appeared publicly garbed in the party’s campaign apparel. The analysis of the media environment in Mozambique shows clearly that journalists are working in a very hostile environment, with the government restricting freedom of expression and access to information in various ways and particularly through political and legal measures. Such blatant partisanship severely compromises the professionalism, credibility, and independence of the press, particularly with respect to political diversity. The violence against journalists, during the electoral process, in 2023, indicated how vulnerable journalists in Mozambique are. Despite Mozambique being among the nations most severely impacted by climate change, media coverage of environmental issues remains intermittent, typically limited to instances when officials make pronouncements on the subject. The major challenges for journalists going into 2024 will most likely be heightened and will continue to worsen as Mozambique heads towards the presidential and general elections scheduled for December. Although Mozambique is one of the most affected country by the climate change phenomena, the media sector continues to report on climate change and environmental issues in a sporadic manner, mainly when officials deliver speeches about it. The analysis shows that the main challenge for the country is not the laws themselves, but rather the implementation of these laws. Indeed, although the Press Law can be considered outdated, as it has not taken into consideration technological developments, it remains one of the most progressive in the region, in terms of provisions protecting freedom of press and expression. Gender issues in media sector In Mozambique, women continue to face sexual harassment and other forms of genderbased violence with most incidents involving superiors and colleagues and so they are often silent on these issues. The constitution itself provides guarantees to exercise this fundamental right. In 2013, the country also enacted the Access to Information Law and as mentioned before, the rollout of provisions is to ensure the proactive disclosure of publicly held information in a way that is accessible to citizens and journalists in particular. In Mozambique, gender violence is not only offline. Women, including journalists, also suffer from offline harassment. A 2022 report by MISA Mozambique on References 1. Mozambique Elections: Bar Association criticises “lack of grounds” in the Consti- 4. Centre for Strategic and International Studies - Winning Cabo Delgado: https:// tutional Council’s ruling: https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-elec- www.csis.org/analysis/winning-cabo-delgado tions-bar-association-criticises-lack-of-grounds-in-the-constitutional-councils-rul- 5. https://aimnews.org/2023/09/12/renamo-leader-threatens-return-to-war/ ing-250056/ 6. 2. Human Rights Watch - Mozambique Police Crack Down on Opposition Before ing-documents-for-pensions/ Election 7. Results: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/13/mozambique-po- https://aimnews.org/2023/09/15/renamo-protests-at-difficulties-in-obtainhttps://www.misa.org.mz/index.php/destaques/noticias/193-comunicado-mi- lice-crack-down-opposition-election-results sa-condena-agressoes-contra-jornalistas-e-restricoes-a-liberdade-de-imprensa 3. Council on Foreign Relations -A Foreboding Set of Local Elections in Mozambique 8. https://aimnews.org/2023/01/30/education-ministry-apologises-to-journalists/ https://www.cfr.org/blog/foreboding-set-local-elections-mozambique 61 STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023