Maputo, Mozambique — Mozambican newsrooms are still haunted by fear and self-censorship eight months after the assassination of investigative journalist Carlos Cardoso, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on Thursday.
Speaking after a four-day fact finding tour of Mozambique, CPJ deputy director Joel Simon said he was deeply disappointed at the state of Mozambican media.
"We met with dozens of journalists at both State-owned and private media, and they all had the same story. Journalists are scared to tackle investigative stories, and many believe it is simply best not to touch stories involving highly placed people," Simon said.
Stressing that there was no official censorship in Mozambique, Simon said journalists however readily admitted to censoring themselves to stay out of trouble.
"Many told us that certain stories are off limits, particularly those involving corruption," he said.
This was very different, Simon said, to the situation in Zimbabwe, where the government imposed widespread controls of the media, but individual journalists still risked their lives on a daily basis to expose abuses of power.
"It's very disappointing given that CPJ and other press freedom organizations have given Mozambique high marks in the past. The country is internationally known for allowing both independent and State-sponsored media to compete freely, without official interference," Simon said.
He said that everyone the CPJ talked to agreed that the military-style assassination of veteran mudraker Carlos Cardoso earlier this year had robbed the country of its foremost investigative reporter.
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"His murder has left a serious gap for aggressive, investigative reporting. Many journalists told us they were too afraid to follow in Cardoso's footsteps," said Simon.
The CPJ has therefore called on the Mozambican government to help reduce the levels of fear by publicly reaffirming its respect for the role of the press as a public watchdog against any abuse of power.
"Journalists who pursue stories involving corruption must be able to count on the full protection and support of the authorities," he urged.
This included, Simon said, support for reports on the alleged role of President Chissano's son, Nympini, in various corruption scandals.
He warned that the CPJ considered official accusations of slander against Metical reporter Marcelo Mosse as intimidation by the Chissano family and urged the rest of the Mozambican media to pursue the story.
Simon also said the best way to combat self-censorship was to push for urgent and clear justice in Cardoso's murder case.
"We call on the government to continue to make the investigation a priority and aggressively pursue all avenues, regardless of where they lead," he said.
The CPJ delegation also expressed concerns that its scheduled meetings with President Joaquim Chissano, Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi, Police Minister Almerino Manhenge and Police Criminal Investigations (PIC) director Antonio Frangullus were all cancelled at the last minute without explanation.
The delegation was instead received Parliament Speaker Eduardo Mulembwe and Foreign Affairs Minister Leonardo Simao. - African Eye News Service
