Nearly six in ten people surveyed in Swaziland said
they supported the need for freedom of the media.
The number supporting freedom had increased by 6
percent since 2013.
The figures were contained in a report
from Afrobarometer released on Tuesday (3 May 2016) to
coincide with World Press Freedom Day.
People were asked whether the media should have the
right to publish any views and ideas without government control. A total of 57 percent
of people of people asked agreed or very strongly agreed with the statement.
This placed Swaziland 13th out of 36 African countries surveyed.
Media in Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as
sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, is heavily censored. The Swazi
Government controls the main television channel and all radio that broadcasts
news and information. One of the kingdom’s two daily newspapers is in effect
owned by the King.
A separate report
from Freedom House, also released on World Freedom Day, concluded that media in
Swaziland are ‘not free’.
Afrobarometer, which produces reports by social
scientists working together across Africa, concluded that support for free
media in Swaziland had increased by 6 percent since it last surveyed opinion in
2011 – 2013.
The report suggested that 64 percent of Swazis
interviewed believed the media should continually investigate and report on
government mistakes and corruption. This placed Swaziland 27th out
of the 36 African countries surveyed.
In its report, Afrobarometer said, ‘Investigating
government mistakes and corruption is seen as a critical role for the media.’
It asked people in Swaziland how effective were the news media in the kingdom
in revealing government mistakes and corruption. A total of 55 percent of
people questioned said it was ‘somewhat / very effective’.
A further 34 percent said it was ’not at all / not
very effective’. A total of 11 percent responded, ‘don’t know’. This placed
Swaziland 22nd out of 36 African countries for ‘media
effectiveness’.
Afrobarometer suggested that changes in the
‘perceptions of media effectiveness’ had improved in Swaziland since the last
survey in 2011 – 2013. It reported there had been a 6 percent increase in perception.
When asked whether news media abused its freedom ‘by
saying things it knows are not true’, 33 percent of people surveyed in
Swaziland said ‘often or always’. This placed Swaziland 16th out of
36 African countries.
Afrobarometer reported that 4 percent more people
surveyed in Swaziland thought the media abused its freedom compared to the
survey undertaken in 2011 – 2013.
See also
JOURNALISTS JAILED TO DETER OTHERS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/journalists-jailed-to-deter-others.html
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/07/journalists-jailed-to-deter-others.html
CALL
TO END SWAZI MEDIA CENSORSHIP
GOVT
HAS TOTAL CONTROL OF TV NEWS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/06/govt-has-total-control-of-tv-news.html
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