FOTP 2013 Full Report

More than 300 radio and television stations operated in 2012. The government retains amonopoly on nationwide broadcasting, and radio and television licenses are often suspendedarbitrarily. The government commonly justifies these suspensions, as well as arrests ofjournalists, by “national security” concerns. Thirteen private daily newspapers, and many morethat appear less frequently, are published throughout the country, but the number fluctuates dueto suspensions. Widespread poverty and illiteracy severely limit the penetration of television,print media, and the internet, making radio by far the most important medium in the country.Major political figures own several of the private media outlets. Ousted president MarcRavalomanana owns the Malagasy Broadcasting System, which operates television and radiostations, and Rajoelina owns the Viva television and radio networks. The state-owned mediainclude Television Malagasy and Malagasy National Radio.Only about 2 percent of the population used the internet in 2012, and access was limitedmainly to urban areas. There were no reports that the government restricted internet usage ormonitored e-mail in 2012. Given the extremely chaotic and restrictive media environment withinthe country, access to information from abroad via the internet took on added importance.Because many internet servers are located outside of the country and beyond the reach of theregime, the internet is seen as one of the most reliable sources of information. Political groupsand parties use the internet to share opinions and to criticize opposing parties.Prospects for rapid expansion of internet access from these low levels improved greatlywith the November 2009 inauguration of the Lower Indian Ocean Network (LION) submarinecable, a fiber-optic network connecting Madagascar and the nearby islands of Reunion andMauritius. The project, financed by a consortium made up of Orange Madagascar, MauritiusTelecom, and France Telecom S.A., made it possible for Madagascar to access broadbandinternet for the first time.MalawiStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 17Political Environment: 19Economic Environment: 17Total Score: 53Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 55,PF 56,PF 56,PF 55,PF 60,PFThe transfer of power to Vice President Joyce Banda after the sudden death of President Binguwa Mutharika in April 2012 resulted in the reversal of setbacks for media freedom that hadoccurred in the preceding year. However, the full impact of the Banda administration’s agendaon the media environment remained to be seen as of the end of 2012.Malawi has strong constitutional guarantees for freedom of the press, but there areseveral laws that restrict this freedom in practice, such as the 1967 Protected Flag, Emblems, andNames Act and the 1947 Printed Publications Act. In May 2012, the National Assembly votedalmost unanimously to repeal an amended version of Section 46 of the penal code that hadallowed the information minister to ban publications deemed “contrary to the public interest.”254