MISA-Swaziland investigated the level of openness in several Swaziland government departments in 2010 and 2011 2011: Swaziland’s Constitution (2005), within the Rights and Freedoms provisions, guarantees and protects the right to freedom of information. However, the country does not have Access to Information Legislation. This means that the Government and Public Institutions are not obligated toContinue reading “Most Open & Secretive Government Departments in Swaziland 2010-11”
Monthly Archives: December 2012
African Media Barometer, 2005-2009
Every two years a panel of media and civil society representatives assess the media landscape using an African-specific measurement system, the African Media Barometer (AMB). 2009: Freedom of expression and of the media are guaranteed in the Swaziland Constitution, which came into effect on 8 February 2006. However, the constitution includes claw-back clauses that take away the rights toContinue reading “African Media Barometer, 2005-2009”
Times of Swaziland protest coverage, April 2011
12 April 2011 — On a day when pro-democracy protesters were taking to the streets in unprecedented numbers to call for democratic governance, the only independent newspaper in the country, the Times of Swaziland, managed to give government almost free reign to spread their propaganda and discredit the protesters. Here is a breakdown of how the Times reported the protest. First we listContinue reading “Times of Swaziland protest coverage, April 2011”
Times of Swaziland coverage of HIV/AIDS, September 2010
The most positive feature of the HIV/AIDS coverage during this period was that no story perpetuated stereotypes about people living with HIV/AIDS or about the virus itself. In addition there were no photos of people living with HIV/AIDS that broke confidentiality. However, the most staggering aspect of the HIV/AIDS reporting was the complete absence of the voices of peopleContinue reading “Times of Swaziland coverage of HIV/AIDS, September 2010”
Coverage of Children in Swaziland’s Media
Coverage of Children in the Swazi Media, June 2010 Poor sourcing of stories remained a challenge though there was a slight reduction in the number of single or no source stories. This time single or no source stories accounted for 33% against 43% in the last study. It is important that newsrooms eliminate poorly sourced stories in orderContinue reading “Coverage of Children in Swaziland’s Media”
Censorship in Swaziland’s Media, 2006
There is a long history of censorship of the media in Swaziland. Some of this censorship we know about because it has become public in some way. But there is suspicion that a lot of censorship is taking place that we do not know about. There have been unsubstantiated reports about the existence of censorship,Continue reading “Censorship in Swaziland’s Media, 2006”
Swazi Journalism and the ‘Muslim Threat’, 2008
This paper reports the findings of a research project undertaken in Swaziland, a small kingdom in southern Africa, that analyses the way in which the press frames Muslims and Islam as a threat to the state and to ordinary people. It begins by analysing three recent stories regarding Muslims: The perception that Muslims were toContinue reading “Swazi Journalism and the ‘Muslim Threat’, 2008”
Political Reporting in Swaziland, 2007
A typical political story in the Swazi media was a basic event description, reported by a male journalist, containing one male government source, and, if biased, favoured government. Coverage of government and political issues was largely superficial and uncritical and captured a limited range of views and voices. The breadth of content in political coverageContinue reading “Political Reporting in Swaziland, 2007”
Evaluation of State Broadcasting in Swaziland, 2006
The State has control over the two national broadcasters, Swazi TV and SBIS (radio). The playing field is still not level as there are no community radio stations neither are there privately owned radio stations save for the Christian radio station, the Voice of the Church which is a franchise of Transworld Radio. One of the major hindrances regardingContinue reading “Evaluation of State Broadcasting in Swaziland, 2006”
Coverage of Women in the Swazi Media, 2006
This study is an analysis of Swaziland media’s coverage of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign and gender-based violence and child abuse that were published or broadcast during the campaign period. The monitoring of gender-based violence and child abuse during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 2006 has revealed considerableContinue reading “Coverage of Women in the Swazi Media, 2006”
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