The Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Hamilton Alissone, acknowledged on Monday 2 December that the government faces challenges in regulating the digital media. However, he guaranteed that the Executive will continue to promote press freedom and the fight against disinformation without interfering in the country’s right to freedom of expression.
‘We live in an era of profound transformations driven by digitalisation. If, on the one hand, it brings opportunities to modernise media operations, explore access to information and boost communication, on the other hand, it imposes challenges that cannot be ignored,’ said the government official in Maputo, during the Annual Forum on Media and Citizenship: The challenges of media sustainability in the age of digitalisation.
Hamilton Alissone recognised that digital inclusion is another challenge, since only 20% of the population has access to the Internet, a fact that threatens to create forms of exclusion in terms of access to content broadcast via digital platforms.
‘Aware of this reality, the Ministry of Transport and Communications defends digitalisation as one of its four strategic priorities. Various initiatives are underway to promote freedom of expression and access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), in order to ensure that all Mozambicans benefit from the Internet,’ said Alissone.
Combating disinformation is another challenge that overshadows the digital media, given that journalism remains a benchmark for rigour and professionalism, especially in an environment where so-called ‘fake news’ can easily manipulate public opinion and compromise social cohesion.
Jeremias Langa
‘The final and business sustainability of the media is another challenge imposed by digitalisation. The traditional media need sustainable solutions that ensure the economic viability of media companies,’ he said, emphasising that the government is aware of the role of the media in promoting and strengthening democracy.
For his part, Jeremias Langa, head of the Mozambican Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Mozambique), said that the accelerated digital transformation is changing the dynamics of communication, which forces the sector to think about sustainability and adopt business models, protecting the fundamental values that define journalism, namely seriousness, independence, freedom of expression and the right to information.
Langa also emphasised that the media, as a pillar of democracy, is currently facing challenges related to disinformation, digital piracy, changes in production and reception ecosystems, generating new market logics that alter previous media business models.
The five-day Annual Media and Citizenship Forum: The challenges of media sustainability in the age of digitalisation brings together media managers, diplomats, journalists and other guests.
