SECTOR 2 The media landscape, including new media, is characterised by diversity, independence and sustainability. 2.1 A wide range of sources of information (print, broadcasting, internet, mobile phones) is accessible and affordable to citizens. Print There are two daily newspapers in Swaziland, both of which are published in English and which have weekend editions. Daily papers cost E4,25 ($0.43), which is cheaper than a loaf of brown bread, which costs E7,50 ($0.75). “There is a lot of poverty in Swaziland, so if people have the choice to buy a newspaper or a loaf of bread, they will choose the bread.” The Times of Swaziland is privately owned by Paul Loffler, a British citizen residing in Swaziland. It has a print run of 17 000 – 28 000 and is said to have a readership of about 200 000. (Note: The Swaziland Media Audience Measurement Survey has not been carried out recently, so these figures are not official). This newspaper is distributed across approximately 98 percent of the country, with distribution to outlying areas being facilitated by bakery trucks. The Swazi Observer, is owned by a royal investment company, Tibiyo Taka Ngwane of which the king is a trustee. Readership of the Swazi Observer has apparently grown in the past two years. This has been attributed to the newspaper taking a bolder approach and often being more accurate than the Times, which has been involved in several conflicts with the Prime Minister. “A side benefit of the royal ownership of the Observer is that it is given a longer leash than the privately owned Times.” The daily edition of the Observer has a print run of about 17 000 and an estimated readership of about 120 000. Both newspapers are distributed on the same day of publication (even to rural areas), with the Times generally arriving earlier than the Observer. Weekly publications include the Swazi Mirror which prints about 5 000 copies and has a readership of about 50 000, while The Independent News which comes out twice a month prints 3 000 copies and has a readership of about 30 000. Both are privately owned, and distributed mainly in the central Mbabane and Manzini corridor. 30 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Swaziland 2014