SECTOR 4 4.1 The standard of reporting follows basic principles of accuracy and fairness The debate showed that the basic principles of the journalistic profession are not being followed in information processing, although it is recognised that there are rare and honourable exceptions. According to the panellists, the present situation can be summed up as follows: • In general, there are training shortcomings and inexperience, in a context in which experienced professionals migrate to other sectors of activity. • A gross superficiality is noted in reporting the facts, to a point where it is not uncommon that a professional journalist’s report does not differ much from popular accounts on social networks. • Lack of rigour abounds, in a context in which there is confusion between facts and opinions, there is a change of names and there is no culture of follow-up of subjects. • Episodic news coverage is more and more frequent, limited to capturing the inaugural speech and nothing else; sometimes, the production of information is reduced to the transcription of press releases, often including their titles. • It is not uncommon to have an absence of the contradictory, through which people presumed innocent in constitutional terms are condemned outside the courts and without the means to defend themselves by presenting their view of the facts. • Concerning training, there has been no interest or investment by the media corporations, in a context where the few experienced journalists left in the newsrooms of media outlets are subject to enormous pressure. • Editorial statutes of the vast majority of the media are just “dead”. • There is an enormous number of ordered pieces concerning trivial matters without any news value, where the motto is to launder the image of the promoters of these pieces or their co-religionaries or to attack critical voices. The panellists expressed concerns that journalism is in crisis. Rare and honourable exceptions have to be acknowledged; however, these end up becoming invisible amidst so much “yellow journalism”, ignoring of the rules of the profession. 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: Score of previous years: 40 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MOZAMBIQUE 2018 ✓✓ ✓✓✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓✓ 2.5 2005=2.0; 2007=3.0; 2009=3.1; 2011=2.7; 2014=2.4