Mauritius: Mauritians Approach Election With Diminished Confidence in the Freedom of Their Press

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(file photo).
9 October 2024
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Asafika Mpako and Stephen Ndoma

Citizens overwhelmingly favour a media that is free and holds government accountable.

Key findings

  • The vast majority (86%) of Mauritians say the media should "constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption."
  • An equally strong share (86%) of the population support media freedom, while only one in 10 (11%) think the government should have the right to prevent the publication of things it disapproves of.
  • While a slim majority (52%) of citizens say the country's media is "somewhat" or "completely" free to report and comment on the news without government interference, this represents a 17-percentage-point decline from citizens' 2020 assessment of their media environment (69%).
  • Television and radio are the most popular sources of news in Mauritius, used at least "a few times a week" by more than nine in 10 citizens (94%-96%). Social media (88%) and the Internet (79%) beat out newspapers (46%) as regular news sources.

Mauritius ranks 57th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index - still among the top 10 (at No. 9) in Africa, but a far cry from its glory days atop the continent's rankings in 2007 (Reporters Without Borders, 2024; Okafor, 2024; News Moris, 2022).

Over the past three years, the V-Dem Institute (2024) has been warning of democratic backsliding in Mauritius, specifically highlighting concerns about press freedom and freedom of expression (News Moris, 2024). Crackdowns on media freedom are evidenced by the arbitrary arrest of journalists, changes to broadcasting and digital legislation that impede investigative journalism, sanctions against some private radio stations that don't toe the government line, and the weaponisation of the police for political ends (Kasenally, 2022).

In addition, the country's long-awaited Freedom of Information Act has yet to see the light of day (Ramsamy, 2023). Media activists argue that the adoption of this act would enhance transparency, improve government accountability, disincentivise the spread of fake news and disinformation, strengthen the fight against corruption, boost the functioning of state institutions, and promote ethical, investigative journalism (Bunwaree, 2020).

As the campaign for the November general election intensifies, how do ordinary Mauritians see the role and realities of their media?

The latest Afrobarometer survey findings show that Mauritians overwhelmingly want their media to act as a watchdog over the government, constantly investigating and reporting on government mistakes and corruption. Citizens value media freedom and reject the notion that the government should be able to prevent publications it disapproves of. And while more than half of citizens believe that media freedom exists in practice in their country, a growing minority see the media as not free.

Television and radio are the most popular news sources in Mauritius, but social media plays an important role, too, regularly providing news to more than eight in 10 citizens.

Asafika Mpako Asafika is the communications coordinator for Southern Africa

Stephen Ndoma Stephen is the assistant project manager for Southern Africa

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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