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1. UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MAURITIUS
SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND
TOURISM
ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF MEDIA
(REPORTING) IN THE REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS
by
MOHOBUTH, M.Y
This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements of the
Masters in Communication and Public Relations
November 2014

2. CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
For Undergraduate and Postgraduate Dissertation
I hereby declare that the intellectual content of this dissertation is the product
of my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains
no material previously published or written by another person nor material
which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the
University or any other institute, except where due acknowledgement and
references are made in the text.
I understand that there are regulations against Plagiarism and that I am fully
aware of consequences of breaching such regulations.
Student Name/Number: …………………………………………………………..........................
Title of Dissertation: ………………………..………………………………………………………………
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Programme: ..........................................................................................................
School in which registered: ……………………………………………………………………………...
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Date: …………………………….................

3. ABSTRACT
There is a vibrant press in Mauritius with a solid basement. The various media enterprises
are functioning freely. The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation no longer enjoys the
monopoly in radio broadcasting. Liberalisation of the airwaves in 2002, with the advent of
three private radios, has brought a wind of change in the media landscape. The population
are now informed more rapidly and have also obtained these platforms to voice out their
opinions or feelings.
This thesis assesses whether the media is sustainable in the Republic of Mauritius with
regard to reporting. Three significant aspects of a sustainable reporting have been analysed;
news freedom, professionalism and plurality of news. A focus group discussion, regrouping
media professionals and members of the civil society was organised. Their conclusions of this
study are, more or less, in line with what Freedom House, Reporters without Borders and
Geoffrey Robertson, Q.C. advocated for the Mauritian press. The IREX scoring system was
also used and the results clearly show that the Republic of Mauritius is „near sustainability‟.
The study demonstrated that, in order for the Republic of Mauritius to be „sustainable‟, some
actions have to be taken both by the government and also by the media organisations. The
State will have to enact laws like a Freedom of Information Act or remove criminal laws for
journalists. Private television should also be on the agenda. On the other hand, the media
will need to act professionally and adhere to a standard Code of Conduct or Ethics. They
need to set-up a protocol for public complaint. If these steps are not taken, the government
will have recourse to putting into place a Press Council or a Media Ombudsman. The above
actions should be given due considerations for the Mauritian press to be considered as
professional, free, and sustainable.

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research project would not have been possible to achieve without the support of many
key people to whom I wish to express my deepest gratitude.
My sincere thanks go to my supervisor Mrs Soolakshna Desai Lukea-Bhiwajee (Senior
Lecturer & Programme Director, Department of Environment, Science & Social
Sustainability) for her unflinching support to conceptualise this project and for having
provided me with her precious advice, guidance, recommendations and support all through
for this study. The discussions we had were very enriching and enlightenment comes when
ideas collide.
I am furthermore very obliged to the participants of the Focus Group Discussion for their
priceless inputs and to the Director of University of technology, Mauritius for having
provided the venue and to Mr Leon Morse Managing Editor, Media Sustainability Index and
Deputy Director of the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) for his help.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Nadia for her encouragements and moral
support in times of doubt during the course of this study and my kids Ilhann and Hahneen for
having been able to cope with me during this restless period.

5. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................
ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Media: meaning, scope, types and evolution
2.3 Sustainability in the media
2.4 The MSI & its parameters
2.5 The context of the study
2.6 Media in the Republic of Mauritius
2.6.1 Media Laws
2.6.2 Media and Politics
2.7 Media development in the Republic of Mauritius
2.7.1 Government Information Service
2.7.2 Newspapers
2.7.3 Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
2.7.3.1 Radio
2.7.3.2 Television
2.7.4 Private Radios
2.7.4.1 Audience Survey
2.8 Sustainability issues in the Rep of Mauritius as far as media is concerned
2.9 Conclusion
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................
APPENDICES......................................................................................................................
Appendix A: Email to IREX
Appendix B: Guideline to panellists
Appendix C: Email to the Director General of the University of Technology, Mauritius

6. ABBREVIATIONS
AM Amplitude Modulation
AMB African Media Barometer
BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
DFID Department for International Development - United Kingdom
FM Frequency Modulation
GIS Government Information Service
GRI Global Reporting Initiative
HRC Human Rights Commission
IBA Independent Broadcasting Authority
ICTA Information and Communication Technology Authority
IPDC International Programme for the Development of Communication
IREX International Research & Exchanges Board
MBC Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
MSI Media Sustainability Index
NEPA Newspaper Editors & Publishers Association of Mauritius
NGOs Non-Governmental Organisations
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USEP Union syndicale des Employés de la Presse
WCED World Commission on Environment and Development

7. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
The media is regarded to be an important institution in the Republic of Mauritius. It is often
referred to as the fourth power after the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. Since the
very first paper, „Annonces, Affiches et Avis Divers‟ appeared in 1773, much has been
achieved in both print and audiovisual. From the early days of the Mauritius Broadcasting
Service to the Web TV‘s recently, the liberalisation of radio airwaves in 2002 has proved to
be an important step in the democratisation of information. Actually there are dailies,
weeklies and magazines, public and private radios. The MBC television is still operating in a
quasimonopolistic situation. This has compelled some operators to launch Web TV‘s like
TéléPlus, l‘Express and ION News. While the public service broadcaster fulfils the three
functions of informing, educating and entertaining, the Web TV‘s, with limited resources,
concentrate more on information.
1.2 Problem statement
This study is taking place in a pre-electoral period where the media is in the forefront.
Despite that the press in the Republic of Mauritius seems to be inspired and breathe some
fresh air, journalists and media organisations are sometimes at the centre of attacks, mostly
verbal. These came mainly from politicians and socio-cultural groups. It also occurs that an
individual may sue a newspaper or a radio or even lodge a complaint at the IBA. Are these
attacks against the press justified? Hence, we will be analysing whether media reports are
fair, objective, well-sourced, ethical, plural and free.
1.3 Research Aim and Objectives
The UNESCO Media Development Indicators, Freedom House, Reporters without Borders,
IREX, the Committee to Protect Journalists and African Media Barometer conducted regular
studies on the media in the Republic of Mauritius. On the local scene, there are surveys on
newspaper readerships or radio audiences but regarding the sustainability of the media

8. nothing has yet to be done. As a result of this lack of resources
on the topic, it has been found appropriate to embark on this study. Primarily this study is
geared towards assessing whether the media, with special emphasis on reporting, is
sustainable in the Republic of Mauritius.
With this aim clearly set, it was decided to conduct a deductive study. There are various
organisations like Freedom House, Reporters without Borders, IREX, the Committee to
Protect Journalists which regularly assess media in various countries. As the stress was on
sustainability, the IREX Media Sustainability Index was appreciated to be the most
appropriate model. It was also stimulating that despite IREX conduct studies in some 80
countries across the world, the Republic of Mauritius was never under inspection. The IREX
MSI was seen to be a suitable theoretical outline around which to arrange the questions and to
conduct the study. This was a challenge to do this work for the profession I am exercising
since 1993 and for the country at large. Three objectives of the MSI have been chosen as
follows:-
1) To assess whether legal and social norms protect and promote free speech and
access to public information.
2) To examine if journalism meets professional standards of quality.
3) To evaluate whether multiple news sources provide citizens with reliable,
objective news.
1.3 Outline of the thesis
In the following chapter, we will go deep into the Literature with a Review starting from a
global to a local perspective.
The methodology used to assess the media was a qualitative approach consisting of the
organization of a Focus Group Discussion with the participation of media professionals and
civil society. This is further discussed in Chapter 3, Research Methodology.
Chapter 4 provides for the Findings of the thesis while a thorough discussion of the three
themes in review under the MSI is outlined in Chapter 5.
Chapter 6 concludes the study and also makes some recommendations for both the
government and the media organisations in order to improve the media landscape in the
Republic of Mauritius.

9. Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Media: meaning, scope, types and evolution
The media plays the role of the Fourth Estate after the executive, the legislative and the
judiciary. (Dalei & Mishra, 2009). Liew Ten (2012) put forward the argument of John Stuart
Mill that when we speak of freedom of the press it must be working as a ‗fourth estate‘.
Emancipation of the people through media, even though they are painful to the government,
is a fundamental attribute of in democracy. Thompson (1995: 238). In the past two hundred
years, there has been little change in media industries. To successfully publish a newspaper
requires popular editorial content and good revenue from advertising. The durability of this
model has been tested. (Hibbert, 1999). In modern democracies, sincerity and accountability
are not possible without mass media. (Balkin, 1998). Traditional media types; print, radio and
television have high level of acceptance. In America, television penetration in the home
account to nearly 95%. (Nielsen, 2011). As the supremacy of mass communications began to
loosen at the end of the twentieth century, researchers were already seeking different terms
for understanding the power of the media – going far away from the language of effects or
impacts, in the direction of a formation of the active audience (Livingstone, 2004b), the
gentled, entrenched audience (Abercrombie and Longhurst, 1998), or in general terms,
looking for new viewers (Gray, 1999; see also Ang, 1990; Hartley, 1988). However, among
researchers in the field of television audience this thought, encouraged by the interpretation
and sociologic turn that brushed the social sciences in general, remained persistent above all
on television which, despite becoming more globalised, spread, and even 'interactive', was
and will always be used within the household domain for relaxation and distraction.
(Lievrouw & Livingstone, 2006). Television tends to emphasise on the entertainment value.
A good television is one which grasps and maintains concentration of its viewers by giving a
good entertainment (Balkin, 1998).
Media organisations have big influence on attitudes and behaviours related to Social,
Environmental and Economic Aspects. There is a responsibility to recognize, understand and

10. address the impact of their content on society. GRI Media fulfil several roles in culture,
including entertaining and providing an outlet for the imagination; educating and informing;
serving as a public forum for the discussion of important issues and acting as a watchdog for
government, business, and other institutions. Gutenberg‘s invention of the printing press
enabled the mass production of media, no one had the slightest idea in the year 1450 that the
printing press would have such powerful effects on our society as it did. (Postman, 1985). In
the 20th century, radio allowed advertisers to reach a mass audience and helped spur the
consumerism of the 1920s—and the Great Depression of the 1930s. After the Second World
War, television users increased significantly in the world, even though its management was in
the hands of three major service providers led to allegations of conventionality. The increase
of cable and following deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s brought more channels, but not
necessarily more diverse broadcaster.
Technology had also great consequence on the media industry, although it is hard to say if
technology caused a cultural shift or rather resulted from it. The ability to make technology
tiny and inexpensive enough to fit into the home is an important aspect of the popularisation
of new technologies. Journalism historian David Nord has argued that in the 1960s and
1970s: ―In journalism history and media history, a new generation of scholars . . . criticised
traditional histories of the media for being too insular, too decontextualised, too uncritical,
too captive to the needs of professional training, and too enamoured of the biographies of
men and media organizations.‖
Carey (1974), identified the ‗Problem of Journalism History‘. The field was dominated by a
Whig interpretation. It was viewed as the sluggish, stable growth of liberty and information
from the political to the commercial media, the hindrance into sensationalism and yellow
journalism, the presumptuous drive into corporate responsibility. O'Malley (n.d.) says the
criticism went too far, because there was much of value in the deep scholarship of the earlier
period. Asian countries, like China and Singapore, have preserved strict power on their
media. For them, a westernized type of free speech is not suitable for their countries. (Nelson
and Susman-Pèna, 2011).
The colonial powers strongly influenced the development of journalism in Africa. They
introduced an authoritarian concept of the press and restrict the expansion of the local media.
Faringer (1991:2). This situation, has contributed to a dynamic patriotic polemic that were the

11. other main pressure in modelling the developing media in Africa. Many scholars have argued
that African journalism first emerged in West Africa. Wilcox (1975:342) Esipisu and
Kariithi,2007; Barton, 1979; Faringer, 1991; Wilcox, 1975. Nyamnjoh (2005:40) argues that
the first newspaper in Africa was established in Egypt in 1797 followed by South Africa in
1800, Sierra Leone in 1801, and Liberia in 1826. However, according to Chan-Meetoo and
Kasenally (2012) it was in Mauritius that the first newspaper of the African continent was
published. In 1773, „Annonces, Affiches et Avis Divers‟ was created by the ruling French
administration for the islands of Mauritius (Ile Maurice) and Ile de la Reunion. The 1980s
were a dreadful time for Africa. (Martin, 1992). The next decade started promisingly well
with Nigeria returning to civilian rule; the Tanzania‘s Police Force had sent Idi Amin
packing; and Zimbabwe was about on the eve of freedom. But this hopeful start was quickly
transformed and Africa felt into its ‗lost decade‘.
The media gives accurate news and information to the public, helps public debate and
dialogue on various issues, and very often builds the agenda for such question. It is an
important aspect in good governance‖ (Kalathil, 2011). According to Graves (2007: 20),
media supports democracy by allowing people to talk, being a referee and overseers any
possible transgression by government.
2.2 Sustainability in the Media
Sustainability and sustainable development are terms which are becoming more and more
popular. The UN's World Commission on Environment and Development in the 1987
Bruntland Report defined Sustainability as: "meeting the needs of the present generation
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their desires". (WCED, 1987,
p. 43). However this definition has evolved. While the report was useful at that time,
regarding the promotion of sustainable growth, financial and scientific environmental
activities, it has been established that it was not pragmatic. (Morris, 2004). It is believed the
sustainability call for self-interest, appeal to the triple bottom line of social, environmental
and economic performances. (Porter M. and Kramer M., 2006). The term ‗sustainability‘ has
obtained such movements recently that the whole concept is in danger of being carried away.
(Pollan, 2007). The mass media potentially expresses alternative discourses (Stiller and Daub,
2007). There are two distinct conceptions of sustainability and they are conflicting.

12. Environmental concerns might be seen as the critical view limits of sustainability. However,
the competing views focus on having a balance between, social, ecological and financial
concerns. (Farell and Hart, 1998). According to the GRI, ‗Sustainability reporting‘ is a broad
term considered identical with others used to illustrate reporting on economic, environmental,
and social impacts. Sustainability is not "about" the integration of ecological, social and
economic issues. (Sutton, 2000).
News media enterprises play an important role in the society at large and must therefore lead
by giving the good example. There is disparity in salary of journalists from organisations to
organisations and even within. Normal journalism graduate‘s pay packet may not be an
average salary in another media enterprise. (Beaujon, 2013) Journalists should not induce in
charging for giving favourable coverage or pay sources in order to get news dishonestly. The
media also play a significant role in education and in the knowledge spread process and
contribute to the phenomena social representation construction (Jodelet, 1992). Sustainability
discussion is expected to emerge in specialised media societies. (Craig and Allen, 2013). The
media has proved to be a responsible organisation and have actively participated in the
development of the society. (Wilenius and Malmelin, 2009).
The media does not operate in isolation. While playing its role of a ‗fourth estate‘ its inputs in
society has to be measured especially what is the media's contribution towards sustainability?
However, There is a need to project a broader view and understanding of the concept of
sustainability. A brief discussion of this word is indispensable. In various sectors, more
frequently in the media, the concept of sustainability tends to refer to economic sustainability
for various reasons. Toennesen (2013) explained ―media's carbon footprint is relatively small,
but its brain print is huge‖. In spite of this only some press enterprises have measured if ever
their actions are having an impact on sustainability. In as much as the concept
―sustainability‖ is broad and complex, it should be viewed in the light of a concerted on-
going effort to make any media based initiative viable and functional. (Tavhiso, 2009). Many
scientists acknowledge that the ability to quantify sustainability is critical to making the
concept operational (Hildebrand and Ashraf, 1989). Bell & Morse (1999:65-7) maintain that
a useful way of understanding the sustainability of any development project is to ask what it
is that needs to be sustained. Internet is a major resource for obtaining sustainable
information (Riffe et al., 2008), more trustworthy news broadcast on television (Kiousis,
2001). Sustainability is nowadays a relevant issue that received in the last few years a

13. growing attention from scholars and practitioners. Sustainability is not only an issue which
concerns public institutions and private firms. (Russo et al., 2012). Media organisations are
well informed of the industry's responsibility to operate in a good environment, but they have
not gone the extra mile to do business responsibly as an essential part of their day-to-day
operation and strategic decision making. (Wilenius & Malmelin, 2009). In terms of finding
info on Media – well it‘s incredibly hard as not many Media companies are taking the lead in
sustainability. A few good ones are: The Guardian, Thomson Reuters, News Corp, The New
York Times. (O‘Meara, 2014)
Participants at a training on sustainable journalism Europe came to the conclusion that
democratisation will not be successful unless strengthened by an independent press.
(Jefferson Institute: 2007: 1 & 5). At the BBC, sustainability is in relation to being
accountable towards three resources namely environmental, human and financial. This should
be reflected in their operations. It is also the way they act now, and the decisions they take for
the future. They wish to have assurance that any of their undertakings have a positive impact
on the society and reduce any negative impacts on the planet. (BBC). The Guardian lays a lot
of emphasis on Sustainability and publishes a ‗Guardian News & Media sustainability report‘
entitled ‗Living our Values‘. In its 2013 issue Guardian Media Group CEO Andrew Miller
explains that sustainability issues have an essential role in its coverage of news through its
environment website. The Guardian Sustainable Business webpage persuades enterprises to
implant social, ethical and environmental concerns in any strategy. (The Guardian) The goals
of the Center for Sustainable Journalism are to find original ways to promote quality wise,
sustainability and ethics in journalism through research and projects. (Center for Sustainable
Journalism, 2014)
2.3 The MSI & its parameters
There are various organisations which evaluates the media. UNESCO made
a survey of different initiatives that seek to define indicators of media development and found
that there are 26 sets of indicators which overlaps and are contradictory. (Puddephatt, 2008).
The UNESCO Media Development Indicators, Freedom House, Reporters without Borders,
IREX and the Committee to Protect Journalists are the main ones. In Africa, African Media
Barometer makes an in-depth analysis of the media landscape. Basically, there are four

14. institutions which evaluate Press Freedom. They are Freedom House, Reporters without
Borders, IREX and the Committee to Protect Journalists on a regular basis and there is
consistency in their measurement. (Becker et al., 2007) Press freedom is interpreted in
different ways in different regions of the globe and even some well known countries do not
have the same understanding of press freedom. (Holtz-Bacha, 2004). The IREX Media
Sustainability Index and the annual Freedom of the Press Survey published by Freedom
House were found to be regularly quoted indicators. (Puddephatt, 2008). The two indicators
have been set-up by firms in the United States and may lack the local touch of the press on
other continents. Moreover this perception of bias has encouraged the developing countries to
construct their own indicator like the African Media Barometer. (Puddephatt, 2008). USAID
has integrated the MSI into its assessment plan for all continents and the World Bank has
agreed to use the MSI parameters. (Whitehouse, M. 2006). UK Department for International
Development also gives credence to the MSI in measuring the success of media systems.
(DFID, 2005).
Since the Europe and Eurasia MSI conception‘s in 2000, it has taken seven years for IREX to
apply the index to most parts of the world with the Africa MSI launched in 2007 going
through the Middle East and North Africa in 2005. (Peters, 2003). IREX defines the term
sustainability as the capacity of the media to be a "fourth estate" in a country. (IREX, 2001).
IREX set up a panel of experts in the field of media and asked them to evaluate five
"objectives" that shape a media structure. (McCarthy, 2012) These objectives are free speech,
quality of journalist reporting standards, various information sources that give the population
the news from every angle, sound management, and supporting organisations like NGOs and
trade unions. (Peters, 2002). Seven to nine indicators are then measures to establish whether a
country is meeting its five objectives. (Becker et al., 2004)
There are two main reasons why we decided to choose the IREX MSI. First, the IREX MSI
Index is the most complete indicator regarding its choice for measurements as it views the
media as an organisation in itself laying a lot of emphasis on Free Speech, Ethical
Journalism, diversity of News, managing business and giving support to corporations. (Roy,
2011). It aims at using an organised and closely controlled configuration to the study, whist
ensuring that the research is certifiable and legitimate. (Cottle et al, 1998). As an international
non-profit organisation since 1968, IREX aims at promoting change worldwide while giving
consideration to leadership and inventive programs. (IREX, 2001) Secondly, in the MSI,

15. media personnel, civil servants and academics found a precious instrument as it solely
examines critically the entire media sector in each of the twenty countries of South-eastern
Europe and Eurasia. (Anon, 2005). Arst (2013) found there is diversity of requirements to
being a panel. Therefore, there will be a lot of views which may not be consensual and these
add up to the quality of the report. Consequently, the choice of the theoretical parameters of
IREX MSI was made.
2.3.1 Three parameters of the study
The aim of our study is to assess whether media in the Republic of Mauritius is reporting
sustainably. We will be using three objectives of the MSI namely promotion of free speech,
examine if journalism meets professional standards of quality and evaluate the plurality of
public and private news sources. Islam (2002) advocated that the media strength depend on
its autonomy, accessibility and excellence.
2.3.1.1 Press Freedom
Freedom of the Press is the first objective and the following criteria are used: 1) Legal and
social norms protect free speech; 2) Licensing of broadcast media is reasonable, and without
any political intervention; 3) There is no discrimination against the media in the payment of
taxes; 4) Attacks against media personnel are strongly condemned; 5) Both public and private
media are equal in law; 6) There is right of access to information for all journalists; 7) Any
individual can become a journalist. (IREX, 2001)
2.3.1.2 Professionalism
The following criteria are used to measure whether journalists are professionals: 1) News
coverage is fair, well balanced and have various news sources; 2) Journalists have a code of
conduct regarding ethics; 3) Press do not exercise censorship; 4) Journalists and editors
obtain a good salary which will prevent them having recourse to corrupt practices; 5) News is
first on the agenda before other programmes; 6) Media personnel have all the amenities to
collect, report and broadcast news and 7) Reports are also geared towards specialist segments
like business, political, sports, politics and investigative reporting. (Becker et al., 2008)

16. 2.3.1.3 News Sources
According to IREX, numerous news sources offer the people with news which are
trustworthy. The seven indicators to measure them are: 1) Existence of various news channels
which give several views; 2) The population has wide access to local and international news;
3) State media work in the interest of the citizens and does not reflect political viewpoints; 4)
Media organisations collect news from independent agencies; 5) Private press create their
own news; 6) The public is aware who is/are the director/s of the media organisation to
evaluate its impartiality; and 7) The is wide representation of the society in news broadcast.
(IREX, 2001)
2.4 The context of the study
This study is taking place at a time where the media is under scrutiny. Political parties
whether in public or private always see the media as a threat. The government has enlisted
the services of Professor Geoffrey Robertson, QC an eminent lawyer in UK who has
expertise in constitutional, criminal and media law. He has submitted a preliminary report on
Media Law & Ethics in Mauritius. A Media Ombudsperson, free from Government but
appointed by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, sitting with two assessors has been
proposed and the three persons will form the Media Commission. (Robertson, 2013).
However the setting up of a Media Commission is diversely commented. The Newspaper
Editors‘ and Publishers‘ Association propose a code of deontology. (L‘Express, 2013)
Robertson (2013) emphasizes for a free press and for a Freedom of expression Act but at the
same time highlights the truth and fairness in all the media. He has invited proposals from
different stakeholders (editors, lawyers, judges) before submitting his final report.
The White Paper on electoral reform entitled ―Renewing democracy electoral reform (2014):
Modernising the electoral system‖ has also been released by the Prime Minister Dr
Navinchandra Ramgoolam. This consultative paper sketch out Government‘s standpoint on
electoral reform, an initial walk towards change in the constitution. (GIS, 2014) This reform
is seen to be far from being democratic and has unsafe proposition whereby political parties
will control the country. (Tsang Mang Kin, 2014; Piat 2014)

17. 2.5 Media in the Republic of Mauritius
Mauritius is a stable democracy which obtained its independence from Britain in 1968. The
Indian Ocean Island is well known for its democratic characteristics and social peace. Four
years after independence, Naipaul (1972, 2002) presented his bleak developmental vision of
Mauritius. He suggested that sustainable economic ‗take-off‘ (Rostow, 1960) would never
occur, quipping that: ―It was on this Island that the dodo, an extinct bird, failed to remember
how to fly‖. (Naipaul, 2002: 107). Meade (1961) predict doom rather than achievement but
Mauritius proved him wrong (Subramanien, 2001). At the time of independence, Mauritius
was a mono-crop economy (reliant on sugar). Financial services, information and
communication technology, seafood processing, tourism, and cane industry are growing
fields which has propelled the country to an upper-middle developing level (Anon., 2010).
Mauritius crossed the threshold of the 21st century with a broadened and strong economy, a
vigorous democratic structure, a well-established welfare state and a colourful written press.
(Stiglitz, 2011)
Freedom of expression is enshrined in section 12(1) of the Constitution of Mauritius. It
guarantees to every person in this nation that they shall enjoy "the freedom to hold opinions
and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference". (The Constitution of
the Republic of Mauritius, 1968). Freedom House (2014) a US-based press freedom
monitoring organization confirmed that Mauritius has a free press. The country is at the
sixty-second place (seventh in the legal environment, tenth in the political environment and,
and thirteenth in the economic environment). This trend has been maintained for the past
three years. In the 2012 Global Rankings for Press Freedom, published by Freedom House,
Mauritius came sixty-second, below Tuvalu, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Malta, Costa Rica
and Vanuatu. In 2013, Mauritius is sixty third of the Global Rankings for Press Freedom; A
report by the ―Africa Media Barometer‖ in 2010 claimed that in Mauritius ―media
practitioners are generally ignorant of the rights of the individual. Together with their
unfairness, this often results in articles that are not fair or ethical. (AMB) The Prime Minister
announced his intention to introduce a Media Commission Bill. The ‗Union Syndicale des
Employés de la Presse‘, commonly known as USEP, is a registered trade union, created in
2012, for the well-being of all Mauritian media workers but is nowadays not functioning due

18. to the lack of involvement of the media personnel. (L‘express, 2013) The Newspaper Editors
and Publishers Association is another professional media organisation in Mauritius.
2.5.1 Media Laws
The law in Mauritius, with the Privy Council as its final court, is inevitably influenced by
developments in English common law but Mauritius has historic respect for both French and
English laws. The press is not subjected to any state control or censorship, although it is
governed by the laws of the country on publications and can be prosecuted for defamation,
libel and sedition. (Kasenally, 2009) The radio stations and televisions are regulated by the
Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) that has been established under the Independent
Broadcasting Authority Act 2000 (Anon., 2000). This body is responsible for issuing radio
and television licences, and for regulating the electronic and broadcast industry. The legal
framework allows for public and commercial broadcasting. The MBC is regulated both by the
Mauritius Broadcasting Authority Act of 1982 and by the IBA Act. During elections the IBA
issues a set of guidelines for political broadcasts and party election broadcast. It aims at
ensuring fair reporting and coverage of election candidates by the broadcasters. (Independent
Broadcasting Authority, 2005).
According to Robertson (2013) media laws are obsolete, contained a lot of criminal offences
which no longer have their place in British laws, and with no condition for freedom of
information. There is also little proof that journalists in Mauritius have attacked the private
life of the people compared to what is happening in the United Kingdom. (Robertson, 2013).
Chan-Meetoo (2013) pressurised for abolishment of the Official Secrets Act and the
introduction of a Freedom of Information Act as promised in the 2005-2010 government
programme.
2.5.2 Media and politics
Politicians and media personnel are often seen to be at daggers dawn. This is sometimes sane
for the good running of a democracy. It would have been ghastly if all journalists were
complacent with power or vice versa. Even though the Mauritian press is subject to criticism,
it has been playing a positive part in helping minority to participate in politics. (Chenganna,

19. n.d). Kasenally (2009) highlighted that politics in Mauritius must shift from a ‗delegative
democracy‘ to a ‗deliberative democracy‘ where the people can an informed option towards
the public goods. Women‘s NGOs must partner with the media to make people conscious on
problems of under-representation and fight for equality on the local political scene. (Yoon
and Bunwaree, 2008). Very frequently questions are put to the Prime Minister in Parliament
regarding the media. The World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without
Borders was heatedly debated. “Government is committed to endorse the basic rights and
freedoms of its citizens and this include their freedom of expression. We should encourage
responsible journalism – not propagation of false news, but responsible journalism. Rights
go together with obligations and responsibilities”. (Ramgoolam, 2013)
2.6 Media Development in the Republic of Mauritius
Media development is very deep in the history of Mauritius. The media in Mauritius reflect
the democratic and pluralistic tradition of the Mauritian society. (Kasenally, 2009) These are
reinforced by the way the media disseminate their information which is very crucial in such a
multi ethnic society. Mauritius is usually seen as a model of civil and political rights, largely
because a number of institutions ensure a functioning democracy. The media (the country has
a strong tradition of free press) have helped enhance the democratic space. (Bunwaree &
Kasenally, 2005). The IBA has granted licences to three private radio stations, but has not
granted any licences for private local television stations. Journalists are often being criticised
for lack of training and are therefore being unethical in their performance and writings.
(Chan-Meetoo, 2013).
2.6.1 Government Information Service
The GIS (Information Services) which fall under the aegis of the Prime Minister‘s Office
have five main divisions: Press & Publication, Publicity, Documentation, Audio-Visual and
Overseas News. They provide different services like covering the activities government, issue
of press release, and assist foreign media on working visit in Mauritius. (GIS, 2014) For a
country of nearly 1,3 million of inhabitants there are many newspapers and other media
outlets and commercial radio (but not as yet commercial TV) stations which compete with the
national broadcaster.

20. 2.6.2 Newspapers
Actually the country has eight dailies and some twenty weeklies as well as a number of
periodicals appearing at less frequent intervals. These newspapers and magazines mirror the
diversity of ideas and interests of the varied social structure of the country, and represent one
of the active elements of a lively democracy. The press enjoy freedom and this is seen in the
various news coverage, along with highly critical editorials on a lot of themes which are of
interest to the public at large. There is a fierce battle between La Sentinelle and Le Défi
Media Group to be the leader in the market. Le Défi Quotidien has overtaken Le Mauricien
and Le Matinal in less than one year of its existence (Syntheses, 2011) After two years, Le
Défi Quotidien became the paper with the biggest distribution surpassing l‘express three
weekdays on five ; that is on Wednesdays, Thrusdays and Fridays. The two dailies share
50% readership followed Le Matinal 20,3% and Le Mauricien 17,3%. (Le Défi Media Group,
2013). Forget (2013) is not agreeable to these figures and instead put forward a survey by
DCDM whereby l‟Express obtained 66,2 % and 28,2 % for Le Défi Quotidien. Regarding
weeklies, Le Défi Plus and Week-End have 27,9% readership followed by Cinq Plus
Dimanche with 27,8 % on a total of 63%. (Syntheses, 2013)
2.6.3 Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
The MBC is commonly perceived as a propaganda machine working for the Government of
the day and has few or no integrity thus encouraging the population to rely more on other
sources for information. (Noyau, 1999). The opposition and media specialists frequently
criticised the MBC for its partiality and inequitable reporting of debates in the National
Assembly favouring the government. (HRC, 2012). During elections the ruling party obtained
disproportionate coverage from the state media. (Bunwaree & Kasenally, 2005) As there is
no competition regarding television, there is restrain in freedom of expression. (Gobine,
2012). However, in the 2014 Budget, announcement was made for the introduction of
private television channels which will broadcast only films, sports
and entertainment programmes. (Budget, 2013). Gopal (2013) qualified this announcement
as retrograde. Seven expressions of interest were received at the IBA from Mauritius and

21. foreign applicants and three frequency channels would be given for the broadcast of films,
sports and entertainment programmes. (Ramgoolam, 2014)
2.6.3.1 Radio
Radio started broadcasting in an amateur way in 1927 by Charles Jolivet. In 1941, Pierre
Adam launched Poste Radiophonique de Maurice while the ‗Frères Français Libre‘ started
Radio Liberation. (Joypaul, 2009) During World War II, the British Ministry of defence and
France‘s Général de Gaulle launched ―France Libre d‘Outremer‖. (Froget et al., 2012). In
1944 in the Hotel de Ville, Curepipe, Raoul Lejeune and his wife also launch a radio. In July
1944, the British GM took hold of all the radios and created the Mauritius Broadcasting
Services in Curepipe.
After the war, a merger of the two stations occurred and the Mauritius Broadcasting Service
(MBS) was set up on 1st July 1944 as a sub-department of the Government Public Relations
Office (MBC, 2011). The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation was established as a corporate
body under Act No. 7 of 1964 and was operation on 8 June 1964. The MBC transmits around
the clock and provides a platform for local, regional and international news on its channels. It
broadcasts to a socially and culturally different listeners and viewers along with providing
information and entertainment through local productions. These are focused on several fields
such as current affairs, culinary, cultural, entertainment and sports. It has six radio channels
four FM (Taal FM, Kool FM, Music FM, Best FM) and two AM channels (Radio Mauritius
and Radio Maurice). These channels broadcast programmes in 12 languages: French, Creole,
English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telegu, Marathi, Gujrati, Mandarin/Cantonese and
Hakka. Radio Maurice, Kool FM and Best FM are also aired in Rodrigues and Agalega.
Moreover, Rodrigues has also his own channel known as Rodrigues FM. (MBC)
2.6.3.2 Television
Television transmission began in 1964 in Mauritius but a late afternoon broadcast of about 3
hours were regular since 9 February 1965 where TV was officially launched. The MBC has
now 17 digital television channels namely MBC 1, MBC 2, MBC 3, Digital 4, Zoom TV,
BBC World News, Bhojpuri Channel, France 24, MBC Knowledge, Sports 11, Cine 12, DD

22. Sahyadri, DD Podhigai, DD Saptagiri, DD 16 – Urdu Channel, Senn Kreol and CCTV. MBC
1, MBC 2 and MBC 3 are also broadcast on analogue channels. Rodrigues has four digital
channels as follows: Digital 1 (MBC 1, VOA, BBC World), Digital 2 (MBC 2, MBC 3, Cine
12), Digital 3 (France 24) and Digital 4 (VOA, BBC World). Agalega has two digital
channels: Digital 1 (MBC 1, VOA, BBC World) and Digital 2 (MBC 2, MBC 3, Cine 12).
(MBC)
Canal Satellite, Parabole Maurice, My T and Arab Sat are available by subscription or via a
cable box. La Sentinelle and Le Defi Media Group (Télé Plus) both have its WebTV.
2.6.4 Private Radios
The airwaves have been liberalized in 2002 paving the way to the entrance of three private
radio stations namely Radio ONE, Radio Plus and Top FM. Recently we are witnessing a lot
of web radio. Radio Plus launched 3 web radios on 12 March 2013; namely Radio Plus Hits,
(Best hits from 1960 in English & French); Radio Plus Fever (Best music from the islands,
zouk, reggae, dancehall, séga, soukouss and R'n'B) and Radio Plus Indiz (Music from
bollywood, songs in bhojpuri, ghazal, fusions tamil, telegu, Marathi). (Radio Plus, 2013)
There are four organisations which conduct surveys on the media: Media Focus, Syntheses,
Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) Analysis and De Chazal Du Mée (DCDM). However, in recent
months Syntheses has been more regular in publishing surveys on radios. Surveys are based
on ‗Radio listened to yesterday‘ (PLY) and we noticed a decrease in radio audience for the
past years. Out of a population of 1.2 million, 948 000 (79%) listen to radio broadcasts
(Media Focus, 2009). A historical peak was reached in 2008 with 81%. (Media Focus, 2008).
According to TNS Analysis (2010), the radio audience rate was between 79% and 83% and
decreased to 70% and 77% in 2011. Private radios have an extremely favourable image in the
country. Sofres (2010) concluded that 93% of the population told that «private radios do their
job well » only 1 % state the contrary. All ethnic groups share this view: 95 % of the General
Population, 93 % of the Muslims and 92 % of the Hindus. In urban regions, satisfaction is to
95% and in rural areas it is 92 %. (Sofres, 2010) The three main age groups that are likely to
listen to the radio across the day are: 24 to 25, 35 to 44 and 45 to 59. An analysis of radio
audience by region shows that there is a relatively higher concentration of listeners from the

23. rural regions early in the morning (05h00 to 07h00). They also tend to listen more to the radio
between 15h00 and 16h30. Late listeners (between 21h00 and 22h00) are relatively more
concentrated amongst the urban individuals as compared to the rural ones. Generally females
tend to listen more to the radio than males. It is only between 18h00 and 19h00 that we have
an equal proportion of males and females listening to the radio as well as between 20h30 and
21h00.
2.6.4.1 Audience Survey
Radio Plus is dominating the radio landscape from head to toe. It maintains its number one
position according to all surveys. In September 2009, it has crossed the prestigious bar of
50% and reached an audience of 52%. (Media Focus, 2010). Radio Plus is the favourite
station for current news and is also perceived as the most nation-wide station in the country.
(Media Focus, 2009) Of the 948,000 listeners to radio broadcasts, 493,000 listen to Radio
Plus whereas 26% listen to its main rival, Radio One. In the news category, Radio Plus comes
first again with 48% of the audience against 14% to Radio One. The programmes most
listened to are the morning show from 6 a.m to 9 a.m and the news from 16h30 to 18h.
According to TNS Analysis (2011), Radio Plus dominates all other channels across the day.
The highest peak recorded for Radio Plus is within the time slot 07h30 to 8h00 with more
than 18% of audience. At this time, Radio One has an audience rate of nearly 8%. More
recent survey from Syntheses (2013), Radio Plus remains the undisputed leader with
weekday audience share of 38.9%, followed by Best FM, 15.8%, Top FM 13.5%, Kool FM,
12.7% and Radio One 10.3%.
Radio Plus continues to dominate the radio landscape in all time slots. In December 2012, its
audience share was estimated at 44.2% (with a peak of 47.9% in the range 6-9 hrs), during
the day on weekdays. An audience three times more than its closest competitor Best FM
(14.6%) followed in third position by Radio One (14.1%) and Top FM (7.8%). Syntheses
(2012) survey was important as it marked the 10 years since the liberalisation of the airwaves.
Unsurprisingly, Radio Plus continues to dominate from head and shoulders the local radio
landscape. New MBC channel Best FM made a breakthrough with 12.4% audience share,
dominating Top FM (9.9%) and is close to Radio One (16.5%).
Radio Plus is the undisputed leader in Prime Time which includes information, reaching
audiences of 43.9% in the morning (6 am to 9 am) against 18.4% at Radio One, 10.2% to

24. Kool FM, 8,4% Top FM and 7.6% Best FM.
Regarding the afternoon Prime Time (16h to 20h), Radio Plus has an audience share of
48.6% against 16.2% to Kool FM, Best FM 12.2%, Radio One 9.2% and Top FM 7.8%.
This means that Radio Plus has three times more audience than its nearest competitor during
peak listening hours. On weekends, the audience share of Radio Plus on the day during the
last quarter was 47.8% up on Saturday on Radio One (17%), Best FM (12%), Kool FM (9,
4%) Top FM (5.9%). On Sunday, the audience is as follows: Radio Plus (30.5%), Radio One
(10.4%), Best FM (8.2%) Top FM (6.3%) and Kool FM (5.6%).
Media Focus was the only survey institute which talked on the circulation area including the
different religious groups. As it has ceased to publish surveys, we have to resort to surveys in
2009. Radio Plus has been qualified as the station attracting listeners from all communities,
age groups, genders, occupational groups and both urban and rural regions. Radio Plus is the
preferred radio of all ethnic groups in the country. Thus, in the Hindu community, Radio Plus
has a listenership of 45%. Radio Plus beats in the Hindu community Radio Mauritius 31%,
Top FM 23%, Taal FM 21% and Radio One 19%. In the General Population, Radio Plus
leads (53%) to Radio One (42%) and Radio Mauritius (25%). Among Muslims, Radio Plus
leads with 40% against Top FM 29%, Radio One and Radio Mauritius 25%. From the point
of view of geographical distribution, Radio Plus is the most ‗national radio‘ in the country,
being the first in urban areas (60%) than in villages (38%). (Media Focus, 2009). Sofres
(2009) also rate Radio Plus the first radio whether in urban (61%) than rural areas (39%).
2.7 Sustainability issues in the Republic of Mauritius as far as media is
concerned
Mauritius has labelled its own sustainability strategy Maurice île Durable (Republic of
Mauritius, 2010: 8). At the Opening Ceremony of the Workshop on MID, Mauritius Prime
Minister said “MID is essentially a vision that seeks to transform the environmental,
economic and social landscape of our country”. (Ramgoolam, 2010). An assessment of any
‗durable‘ strategy for Mauritian development needs to consider a range of dangers and

25. occasions. Prospect for development depends on social tensions associated with open markets
being managed in a socially-inclusive manner. (Greig et Al., 2011)
Sustainability reporting is the practice of measuring, disclosing, and being accountable to
internal and external stakeholders for organizational performance towards the goal of
sustainable development. (GRI) As the economy has flourished, the media industry has
gained momentum in recent years and is seen to be easily reached and affordable all through
the country. (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2010).
2.8 Conclusion
Media is said to be the Fourth Estate but for (Rosen, 2013) it is a state of mind whereby some
people have it and others do not. Long ago, the media was an organisation which transforms
the society. (Anon., 2013) Nowadays we see the media as a profit-making organisation and
journalists have some constraints on the reporting of the news. (Soloski, 1989). This can
make the media partial when its main objective is profit. (Bernhardt et al. 2008). This
contrast, however, when talking about the MBC; an institution found to be part bias vis-à-vis
the government of the day. (Noyau, 1999; Bunwaree & Kasenally, 2005; HRC, 2012)
However, there are not sufficient scientific researches to support this assumption. This study
will, hence, shed some light whether the media in Mauritius promote free speech and will
examine if there are various news sources.
After the airwaves have been liberalised for the radio, two media organisations have been
propelled as the biggest media groups namely Le Defi Media Group and La Sentinelle.
(Frojet, 2012). However, media organisations in Mauritius have not come forward to tell
what they are doing to be sustainable especially in terms of reporting. Some journalists
received gifts from the Mauritius Duty Free Paradise lately. (ION NEWS, 2014) This is an
attitude that an ethical behaviour has modest significance for journalists. (Keeble, 2008). This
is why, for the first time, in regards to journalists will be assessed especially whether they
follow established ethical standards and meets professional standards of quality. At the same
time, pay levels for journalists and other media professionals will be under scrutiny.

26. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
A wide review of the literature set the background to the dissertation. A methodology is
required to reach its conclusions in every academic research. (Haralambos, 1995).
Methodology is concerned with both the detailed research methods through which data is
collected, and the more general philosophies upon which the collection and analysis of data
are based. There are many different approaches in doing research. It may be quantitative or
qualitative. (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004; Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007) However as a
thorough understanding of a social phenomenon will be under review (University of Utah,
College of Health, 2009) a qualitative approach was envisaged. Qualitative research
methodology, semi-structured interviews, was carried out. Merriem (1998) explained that
there are different types of qualitative research. Nevertheless a focus group discussion was
seen to be more appropriate (Berg, 2004) than any other qualitative tools. The advantages of
this approach are various but the main one is that the information collected is richer and has a
profounder insight into the phenomenon under scrutiny. (Kimel, 2003) A guideline was
designed with the flexibility to include qualitative judgments, yet also incorporated a standard
scoring system that allowed analysis of media systems across the country. (IREX, 2001) This
had encouraged in-depth interviews about the development of media reporting in the
Republic of Mauritius especially regarding its sustainability.
3.2 Research Design
Research design is a roadmap for a study and explained the planning of scientific inquiry–
designing a strategy to finding an outcome. (Burns and Grove, 1997) The three broad
―objectives‖ for measuring the strength and sustainability of media systems encompassed the
degree of free speech protection, professional journalism and plurality of news sources. (MSI,

27. 2011) Multiple ―indicators‖ have defined specific conditions for reaching each objective.
(McCarthy, 2012) These three objectives and their relevant indicators represented a scale
against which the Mauritius media system could be measured based on widely accepted
principles of what constitutes effective and independent media. This approach provided a
comprehensive assessment of the media sector in Mauritius, understanding the many factors
that determined whether it would be opened, professional, and economically sustainable. A
group of experts had completed the guidelines, providing both scores and written comments,
and participated in a panel discussion on the state of media. The end result was a nuanced,
detailed analysis of the media situation in Mauritius that only local media practitioners and
experts could have provided.
3.3 The Research Process
Bordens et al. (2002) explained that the research process is a well-defined method in the
development a study. It showed how data which have been collected will be analysed and
interpreted. It also explained the qualitative research with emphasis on a focus group
discussion.
3.3.1 Qualitative Interviews
According to Merriam (1999), in qualitative research the first instrument for data collection
and analysis is the researcher. Collection of data for qualitative research typically
encompasses face to face interaction with a person or a direct interface with some persons in
a group setting. It takes time to gather qualitative research data; therefore data is usually
collected from a smaller sample than would be the circumstance for quantitative approaches.
(Cresswell, 2003) The process sought to evaluate the current status of the media in Mauritius
not transgressions in the distant past or future potential. Collections of data were purely
qualitative. The aim was to set up a focus group discussion with various stakeholders who are
closely, or even from far involved, with media professionals. The focus group was found to
be most appropriate to obtain in-depth information on the matter being studied. It has

28. obtained substantial attractiveness as a means of collecting qualitative data. (Sim, 1998)
There are five types of Focus Group Discussion; Traditional (In-person, directive, structured),
Brainstorming (In-person, nondirective, unstructured), Nominal/Delphi technique (Mail,
directive, structured)
Field, natural (In-person, spontaneous, unstructured) and Field, formal (In-person, directive,
semi-structured). (Kimel, 2003)
This interaction pushed participants to make associations to other concepts. Basically there
are two stages in the focus group methodology; Conceptualization and Logistics.
3.3.1.1 Advantages of Interviews
The advantages of in depth unstructured interviews are its flexibility and practicability.
According to Nagle and Williams (2010), the main benefits of focus groups were that it
promoted interaction in a group and non-verbal communication. This is a very distinctive
method, which allows access to many different groups of people while generating different
types of information. The conversation developed quite naturally and freely, and through the
guideline questions, the appropriate information can be gathered by laying emphasis on what
is already known and understood and the subjects to be covered.
Even though the discussions were recorded, the focus was on the ideas which the respondents
wanted to convey and not a literal transposition.
3.3.1.2 Disadvantages of Interviews
It has been observed by Krueger & Casey (2000) that information gathered during interviews
may not be accurate and may not reflect true reality. Respondents may lie, may forget or lack
the required information. Interviewees may also be influenced by the presence of the
researcher.

29. The answers given by the respondents may be influenced by the way the interviewer defines
the situation as an interview implies the interaction of two persons, maybe of different
backgrounds or of the same background thus leading to bias from one of the parties involved.
(Fern, 2001).
The interviewer, might knowingly and unknowingly, direct the interviewees towards giving
certain types of answers, through leading questions.
Questions of ethnic order in a socially and politically timid society may prompt respondents
to hide true feelings; give information that are politically correct (complacent) just to please
the interviewer or to make a good impression, knowing that, what is being said will be
recorded and will be published.
3.3.2 Identifying interviewees
It is not always easy to select a probability sample when doing qualitative research. As the
idea was to set up a focus group discussion with various stakeholders who are closely, or
even from far, involved with media professionals, the selection of the participants was done
purposely. (Creswell, 2014) Thus, owing to the limited exact population concerned with the
media, a purposive or judgmental sampling technique was used for both phases of this
qualitative research process. This type of sampling technique was not determined randomly,
but rather by basing oneself on visible characteristics of respondents who are assumed to
have the attributes such as experience of the media or who still gravitate around the media
nowadays. The selection was carefully done so as to get persons from various walks of life
from rural to urban and from the public and private sectors. This handpicked list, however,
was far from being an exhaustive one. At some point in time the list was closed and the
panellists were informed by phone calls followed by an email. The importance of their
participation in this research work was detailed. But the most difficult part was to get all of
them present at a specific date and time. Thirteen persons responded positively to the
invitation. Their background is briefly described as follows:

30. 1. Anonymous 1 is a Senior News Editor with some 20 years of experience at the
Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation. He is actually the acting Director of News.
2. Anonymous 2 is a journalist/reporter at the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
3. Jean Max Baya is a seasoned journalist with more than 30 years of experience. He
worked for Le Mauricien, Le Matinal and Business Magazine. Actually he is Adviser
on Information Matters at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
4. Avinash Bissoondoyal is a TV Producer at the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
for 14 years.
5. Ayle Duval is a representative of Mauritius Council of Social Service, which regroup
all NGO‘s in Mauritius.
6. Surajshen Gopal is a civil servant working at the Ministry of Gender Equality. As an
Organiser, he works closely with the media. He has been an Adviser on Information
Matters for three years.
7. Vandhana Gungabissoon was a radio anchor at Top FM and Radio ONE. She
worked also at Raffles University in Singapore. Actually she is responsible for
Marketing and International Relations at the University of Technology, Mauritius.
8. Rizwaan Khodabux is a young journalist at Le Défi Media Group. He holds a
Degree in Journalism.
9. Shaan Kootbally is doing a MEng Aerospace Engineering at The University of
Sheffield and follows closely the local media on the web.

31. 10. Nawaz Noorbux has some 15 years of experience in the media and is actually the
Director of News at Radio Plus and Tele Plus. He also worked at the Mauritius
Broadcasting Corporation.
11. Ashraf Oozeerally is a Brand Coach and Founder at One_Essence. He worked at De
Chazal du Mee, British American Investment, and Amadeus. He wrote several articles
in l‘Express.
12. Dharmendar Sesungkur is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants and work actually for Mazars. He is a social worker and has deep roots
in the villages and is also doing his first steps in politics.
13. Jayen Teeroovengadum works as Adviser in the Communication Cell at the Prime
Minister‘s Office. A former Mayor of Curepipe, he was also the Adviser on
Information Matters at the Ministry of Education and Human Resources.
3.3.3 Designing the guideline
Interviews in the case of this study involved semi-structured interview based on guide-line
questions. Blaxter et al. (2010:201) state that questionnaires are one of the most widely used
social research techniques. The idea of formulating written questions, for those whose
opinions or experience were required, seemed such an obvious strategy for finding the
answers to the issue of interest. Cottle et al. (1998) explained that before starting interviews
interviewees must be identified, guidelines must be designed and the questions must be
framed and ordered. We have chosen semi-structured interviews based on the use of an
interview guide. (Hardon et al., 2004) A mail was sent to Mr Leon Morse, Managing Editor,
Media Sustainability Index and Deputy Director of IREX asking for help regarding the IREX
Methodology. (Appendix A) Without hesitation he sent the 2012 Questionnaire which IREX
prepare for Panel Participants. This was adapted to the local context and a guideline was
designed in a way that the participants could respond to any of the questions set in each of the
three indicators. There was one main question which was directly related to one objective of

32. the research. This was supported by other sub questions which would allow a deeper
reflection. Each participant was firstly explained the title, implications and objectives of the
study. Then, the guideline questions (Appendix B) were put to them. There were variations in
the wording of each of the questions; nevertheless, an order was respected in the setting of
the questions to ensure validity and reliability of the findings of this data collection process.
3.3.3.1 Framing the questions
The interview protocol developed by IREX (2012) was used but adapted in the Republic of Mauritius
context. The way the questions were ventured was important as I have to show that it allows
discussions and also to show that I am not being biased. The questions, mostly open-ended, were set
in English, which all the participants showed proficiency but yet some preferred to respond in French.
The questions set in these semi-structured interviews were important as no question can go
unanswered but some flexibility was allowed especially when some emerging issues were seen to be
critical to the experts and these were deeply explored. (Hardon et al., 2004)
3.3.3.2 Pilot Testing
A pilot test was carried out with some experts. The interview guide was found to be too bulky as some
questions were seen to be inappropriate. For example even though there are regular attacks against
journalists but there is no crime against Media Professionals, Citizen Reporters, and media outlets.
The question regarding crime was reframed as follows:
“What types of attack are committed against journalists, citizen reporters, photographers, bloggers,
political cartoonists, or media outlets in your country?
Thus the following questions were removed.
Who is found or thought to be responsible: is it criminal gangs, militant groups, a systematized
campaign by government forces, or others?”

33. The pilot testing also concluded that there would be too obvious replies to these questions:
Are journalists and editors able to use the Internet for access to some news resources?
Is access to or use of any foreign news sources blocked or restricted?
Are media allowed to reprint/rebroadcast foreign and/or local news programming or news agency
information?
Is entry into the journalism profession is free and government imposes no licensing, restrictions, or
special rights for journalists?
Do government regulations prevent the practice of journalism by those of certain gender, ethnic,
religious, or other demographic groups?
Is entrance to journalism schools controlled in any way by the government?
Is the process of hiring entry-level journalists in any way influenced by the government or political
interests?
These questions were also removed. There were some areas of discussions which were seen to be
more of interest to the pilot participants like pay of journalists and this was reflected in the Focus
Group Discussion.
3.4 Focus Group Discussion
3.4.1 Logistics
Preparation to conduct the Focus Group Discussion was very time consuming. After identifying the
panellists, a contact list was developed and at the same time, one month before, an email (Appendix
C) was sent to the Director General of the University of Technology, Mauritius to identify and reserve
a room. Two dates were communicated and the response was quite swift. Focus Group Discussion
was thus organised on Thursday 26 June 2014 for two hours as from 13h30 to 15h30. Invitation was
then launched to the panellists by a phone call followed by an official email. Two days before the
discussion, a reminder mail was sent along with phone calls. Out of twenty invitations, 13 participants
responded positively.

34. Other materials were organised earlier. These include list of Participants, notepads and pens; camera
crew, focus group guidelines which include a sign-in sheet and a Consent Form.
Arrangements were also made for recording the whole process and the services of a crew were rented.
The participants had no objection of their voices being recorded. At the end of the discussion,
refreshments were distributed.
3.4.2 The discussion
Breaking the ice was important with the panellists as I met some of them for the first time. But we
engaged in small-talks to help the participants feel more at ease. Then, as the facilitator and I opened
the discussion by welcoming and thanking the participants for their response and also the University
of Technology, Mauritius for putting at my disposal a room and its infrastructures. The panellists were
asked to briefly introduce themselves. The guidelines were distributed and the objectives of the study
were clearly explained along with the different questions and the scoring system. It was emphasized
that the objective was not to have any consensus on any indicator and this motivated the participants
to voice out their opinion freely. Group interaction was encouraged, to allow the experts to express
their views flowing on the topic.
I had also to take care of the dominant talkers versus the shy participants whereby I frequently put
question to the shy participants in order to obtain their views too.
They also abided to some simple principles that I stated at the start like all mobiles are on silent mode,
one person talking at one time and all that they will be saying will be confidential. It was some 90
minutes discussion with some added extra-time.
3.4.2.1 The scoring system
According to Sandelowski (1995), a mutual misunderstanding about the sample in qualitative research
is that figures are not important to safeguard the suitability of a sampling approach. The panellists
were asked to carefully read the questions following each indicator and circle their score. The
following Likert scale, supplied by IREX, was used when rating all indicators under each of the three
objectives:

35. 0 = No, country does not meet indicator; government or social forces may be actively opposed to its
implementation.
1 = Country minimally meets aspects of the indicator; forces may not be actively opposed to its
implementation but business environment may not support it and government or profession not fully
and actively supporting change.
2 = Country has begun to meet many aspects of indicator but progress may be too recent to judge or
still dependent on current government or political forces.
3 = Country meets most aspects of indicator and implementation of indicator has occurred over
several years and/or change in government, indicating likely sustainability.
4 = Yes, country meets the aspects of the indicator; has remained intact over multiple changes in
government, economic fluctuations, changes in public opinion and/or different social conventions.
Scores must be presented in whole or half points (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, or 4.0).
It was emphasised that scores of 4 should be given only if the indicator has been sustainable over the
long term and government and social forces could not easily reverse current positive attributes.
Conversely, scores of 0 should be reserved only for cases where significant government and/or social
opposition to the indicator exist and where there is a complete inability to meet the indicator.
IREX has then analysed the scores as shown in Table 1.
Unsustainable, Anti-Free Press (0-1): Country does not meet or only minimally meets objectives.
Government and laws actively hinder free media development, professionalism is low, and media-industry
activity is minimal.
Unsustainable Mixed System (1-2): Country minimally meets objectives, with segments of the legal system
and government opposed to a free media system. Evident progress in free-press advocacy, increased
professionalism, and new media businesses may be too recent to judge sustainability.
Near sustainability (2-3): Country has progressed in meeting multiple objectives, with legal norms,
professionalism and the business environment supportive of independent media. Advances have survived
changes in government and have been codified in law and practice. However, more time may be needed to
ensure that change is enduring and that increased professionalism and the media business environment are
sustainable.

36. Sustainable (3-4): Country has media that are considered generally professional, free, and sustainable, or to
be approaching these objectives. Systems supporting independent media have survived multiple
governments, economic fluctuations, and changes in public opinion or social conventions.
3.5 Ethics
According to Fouka & Mantzorou (2011), ethics in research comprise requirements on day to day
work, the protection of self-respect and self-esteem of the topics and the publication of the
information in the work. Some ethical considerations were taken at each step in order that the
participants feel comfortable in making any comments. (Allmark et al., 2009) There is no recipe for a
responsible ethical method that can fit in any qualitative research interview as they are built whenever
the discussions evolve. (Rosenblaat, 1999)
The participants were asked if they were at ease that they were identified in the thesis and also if the
discussion be recorded. They fully give their agreement and did not have any problem that they will
be cited. Two participants upon returning the guidelines requested not to disclose their identities. This
request was respected without hesitation and these panellists will be thus known as Anonymous 1 and
Anonymous 2 as advocated by Richards and Schwartz (2002).
The translation from English to French was done to the best of my ability to keep the original
formulation and spirit of the participant.
Last but not least, I must say that being in the media industry for more than 20 years (since end-1993)
has helped a lot in colouring this research especially to grasp participants from such a diverse
spectrum but all, in one way or the other, being directly or indirectly related to the media.
3.6 Validity of the research
Validity is rooted in quantitative research and is now reassessed in the qualitative research paradigm.
(Golafshani, 2003). Cresswell (2003) and Winter (2000) explained that reliability and validity are
instruments of a fundamentally ―positivist epistemology.‖ In quantitative research, validity explains
whether the research truthfully measures that which it was envisioned to measure or the degree of

37. honesty the research results are. (Joppe, 2000) Qualitative researchers have to reclaim accountability
for reliability and validity by effecting integral authentication plans throughout the conduct of
interview itself. (Bashir et al., 2008)
These fully apply to the research where the participants showed knowledge on the topic and the three
indicators were easily discussed giving depth to the research. The participation of experts from private
media, and the state media along with government officials gave a good gamut of opinions which
were unbiased. Each participant was agreeable of his weakness and forces. For example, the MBC
was being congratulated for doing efforts even if there are rooms for improvement regarding news
coverage.
3.7 Conclusion
Assessing the sustainability of the media in the Republic of Mauritius with special emphasis on
reporting was a big challenge. This chapter has achieved to meet the three objectives of the Media
Sustainability Index as supported by IREX. Each objective was discussed separately. Every
participant shared their views on each objective and its indicators. The promotion of free speech,
professionalism in the media and plurality of public and private news sources were debated. Despite
the numerous limitations and the inconveniences associated with interviews in a focus-group, this
mode of investigation was seen as the most appropriate one to gather the relevant qualitative
information required for the study. During the process of conversation, the panellists voiced out what
constituted their norms, values, experiences, personal anecdotes, beliefs, views and opinions.
Sometimes specific experiences were presented to support a point. There was not a need to come to a
consensus on each indicator and each objective.
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS
4.1 Introduction
The focus group discussion provided qualitative findings and issues surrounding the three
indicators. Additional debate was encouraged to refine the theory development. Moreover, on
some specific questions it gave rise to heated discussions.

38. 4.2 News Freedom
There were five main questions set for this indicator as follows:-
1. Do legal and social protections of free speech exist and are enforced?
2. Whether attacks against Media Professionals, and media outlets are prosecuted
vigorously?
3. Does the law protects the editorial independence of state or public media
4. Is libel a civil or a criminal code case in your country?
5. Is public information easily available and right of access to information is equally
enforced for all media, journalists, and citizens?
Theme: News Freedom
Table 1.1: Social protection
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Social
protection
Provisions do exist in the Constitution as to the individual‟s right to express
him publicly. This state of affairs is well entrenched in the democratic
process, as it can be seen in everyday life of the population, at the level of
Civil Society, NGOs, trade unions, social media, etc. The right to criticize
and expression is also visible with the coming into operation of private
radios.
Anonymous 2 Mauritius complies with basic international human rights and freedom of
expression standards. Also our social, economic and political fabric is
rather stable and does not require extreme struggling journalistic skills.
However, structured ethical and engaging protective bodies for the
profession are missing.
Ashraf
Oozeerally
The media plays a role as a counter power.
Vandhana
Gungabissoon
Freedom of speech exists but sometimes media are subject to attack and
brought to court.
Marc Ayle Duval People are free to express their opinions on issues.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the law.
Nawaz Noorbux Constitution guarantee free speech and when this right is being
compromised it provokes a national outburst. The judiciary acts at liberty
but it is the people who make the institution. E.g the Soornack affair is

39. revelatory. In general a journalist is not obliged to reveal his source in
court but there is a provision in the Prevention of Corruption Act whereby
the Director General of the ICAC can arrest a journalist who does not
reveal his source.
Soorajshen
Gopal
We are on the right side regarding freedom of expression.
Jayen
Teeroovengadum
Journalists are not being silenced as the press is free.
Jean Max Baya The Constitution provides for freedom of expression. The media has been
free ever since the publication of the first newspaper as far back as the 17th
century.
Table 1.2: Legal framework
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Legal
framework
However, violations are often followed by legal suits; even if cases of
prisoners of conscience do not form part of the set-up as no public outrage
has been noted as such, creating prejudice to racial harmony.
Marc Ayle Duval It happens that journalists do not verify information from various sources
which at some point in time is detrimental.
Shaan Kootbally The general public is in vast majority unaware of the legalities and
infringement of the press and journalists.
Rizwaan
Khodabux
Even if freedom of expression is in the letters of the Constitution, some laws
are quite archaic especially regarding sedition.
Jayen
Teeroovengadum
However there are institutions like the Judiciary, the Independent
Broadcasting Authority and the Information and Communication
technology which see to it that laws, rules and regulations are being
respected.
Table 1.3: Attacks
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 2 Attacks In most cases, when the media have been abused, the public opinion surged
in support through different modes but it remains confined to comments.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
It is rare that people are imprisoned because of their opinion. Journalists
are rarely attacked.
Nawaz Noorbux Journalists are not physically attacked but there are verbal attacks from
politicians. Investigative journalists are quite free and publication of false
news is sanctioned by law.
The government usually try, from time to time, to financially asphyxiate the

40. free press by reducing government advertising.
Rizwaan
Khodabux
Journalists do have constraints but we are not persecuted.
Dharmendar
Sesungkur
As an accountant I can confirm how suppression of government advertising
may affect the media.
Jean Max Baya In spite of a few attempts to tame down the press, journalists,
photographers and cartoonists have always enjoyed freedom. The arrests of
journalists or photographers for flimsy reasons have always raised public
outcry.
Table 1.4: Public Information
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Public
information
The situation could have been better if more breathing space could be given
to civil servants to make available information of public interest.
Ashraf
Oozeerally
Role of new media should be well defined.
Vandhana
Gungabissoon
Government officials are not allowed to talk to the media.
Marc Ayle Duval Maximum information is available in newspapers and website.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
There is a need for a Public Information Act whereby journalists can get
access to information to share with the citizen.
Nawaz Noorbux Access to information is a big challenge. Public officials are not allowed to
talk to the press except when they get authorisation. There is no Freedom of
Information Act.
Rizwaan
Khodabux
As a young journalist, I can find information which I look for but there are
room for improvement.
Table 1.5: Editorial independence
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 2 Editorial
independence
The country being an island there are understood and unspoken limits
imposed on journalists. Depending on the bodies they belong, even people
who have the appropriate expertise cannot speak which hinders the quality
of information communicated. There is a serious lack of impartial debate
involving citizens be they are specialists or simple observers
Ashraf
Oozeerally
Are there true journalists or are there vested interests?
Vandhana Some media help certain politicians. For fear of being blacklisted or not to

41. Gungabissoon be victimised by the power, some persons try to be quiet. The radio is a
Public Relations medium for propaganda.
Marc Ayle Duval However some goes beyond the parameter to the extent that they demean
the personality of people.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
Appointment of board directors should be done on meritocracy.
Shaan Kootbally Most of the information is absorbed by the public as a sponge without
knowing that there have been barriers that have been breached.
Nawaz Noorbux Director General and Board of the MBC tend to be at the service of the
government of the day as they have been nominated by the Prime Minister.
Jean Max Baya As far as public media is concerned, the state-owned television operates in
a monopolistic situation. Hence, television and state-owned radio channels
are under tight scrutiny from government since members of the board of the
Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation are appointed by the political party
which is in power.
4.2.1 Deviant case
Most panellists agree that the appointment of the Director General and the nomination of
members of the board of the MBC should be done in transparency. But this is not how these
are done elsewhere especially regarding the public broadcaster like BBC or even private like
TF1 in France.
4.3 Professionalism
Under this theme, five indicators were also put to the panelists for discussions in order to see
whether journalism meets professional standards of quality. They are as follows:-
1. Is reporting fair, objective, and well-sourced?
2. Do journalists follow recognized and accepted ethical standards?
3. Do journalists and editors practice self-censorship?
4. Are key events and issues covered?
5. Is pay level for journalists and other media professionals are sufficiently high?
Theme: Professionalism
Table 2.1: Fair reporting

42. Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Fair
reporting
Free access of information and expression do sometimes go against the
concept of fair and balanced reporting.
Anonymous 2 If we consider the riots in 1999, a debate on the depenalisation of gandia
was put forward, despite the identity of the group behind this endeavour;
no objective discussion came from media. It was only after the storm that
one newspaper started publishing a proper analysis of the matter
shedding light on the positive and negative points in may be triggering a
national refection.
Even if we look into recent issues, there is still a lack of mature response,
personal inclinations remain very present. There is a need for
investigative and reasonable journalism refraining from using too formal
formulas to camouflage simple critical comments be they positive or
negative.
Vandhana
Gungabissoon
Some journalists show professionalism but not all. Journalists cross
checked their information before printing any news. There is a fear factor
unfortunately as not all news channels are bold enough to state the truth.
Many news items are refrained from publication or aired for fear.
Marc Ayle Duval Some articles in the newspapers are not reported in a professional
manner.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
Reporting could be done in a more professional manner in many cases
Shaan Kootbally As a student who read most of the local news on the web owned by media
outlets, the reporting level is not of a high standard.
Rizwaan
Khodabux
Fair reporting exists and there are some papers which show their
partisan colours.
Dharmendar
Sesungkur
Mauritius is committed to international best practices
Jean Max Baya Generally speaking, journalists have access to different sources to verify
and countercheck the information they present. In spite of the fact that
there is no official code of ethic applicable to the entire media industry,
journalists tend to meet the standards of quality.
Table 2.2: Self-censorship
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings

43. Anonymous 1 Self-
censorship
Self- censorship is not a way of life in the press, but very often, sections of
the press do obey to editorial lines not necessarily in line with their own
opinions regarding ethical standards.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
Self-censorship not always practiced and major events obtain coverage.
Rizwaan
Khodabux
There is a new phenomenon; censorship regarding shareholders. This is
frustrating for journalist where you cannot do your job properly.
Jean Max Baya Self-censorship is applied as a measure of caution to avoid libel.
Jayen
Teeroovengadum
Journalists and editors are half-way to practicing self-censorship.
Table 2.3: Key Events
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Key Events Covering key events is relative, owing to the fact that too much attention
is given to politics, in a small country like Mauritius. All events are not
covered according to the same consideration of public interest.
Vandhana
Gungabissoon
What could be a major event for a media is not for another one.
Nawaz Noorbux There is a need to define what is a key event or a key issue.
Soorajshen
Gopal
Journalists cover key events.
Table 2.4: Pay Level
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Pay level As far as pay levels are concerned, the disparity in terms of salary is quite
striking. Sources of income related to the situation and compromising
ethical reporting, are not a major issue in the media.
Ashraf
Oozeerally
Career in media is interesting.
Vandhana
Gungabissoon
There is not a standard level of pay for journalists. All should be put on
same level. For the state-owned media, the pay is determined by the Pay
research Bureau. Goodwill and reputation are now criteria for the pay of
journalists.

44. Avinash
Bissoondoyal
Journalists are paid according to their qualifications and competence.
Nawaz Noorbux With regards to salary, it is in the interest of the press magnate to
remunerate their best talents.
Jean Max Baya As far as salary is concerned, reporters often complain about low pay.
This applies only to journalists working for private owned newspapers.
One main weakness regarding the level of profession in the media is the
lack of training for journalists. The Media Trust is not playing its role.
Table 2.5: Ethics
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 2 Ethics It is important to single out that there is no real body to formally shape
the whole set principles regulating the profession. Most journalists, if we
consider their careers throughout history, seem less equipped than their
former peers.
Ashraf
Oozeerally
Journalism plays a role in the functioning of society. Even if there is not a
formal code of conduct, the attitude of the journalist is important.
Marc Ayle Duval Some reporters intrude too much in the private life of ordinary citizens.
Some cases of violence and abuse are reported to create sensational
effects.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
Most journalists follow some ethical standards according to their
companies.
Shaan Kootbally Media are most concerned in making headlines that will bring them
revenue rather than putting quality information to the public. Many times
the articles are half-written and main pieces of information are lacking.
Nawaz Noorbux Many media have its own code of conduct or ethics.
Jean Max Baya However, in view of the fierce competition between private radios, some
journalists working for these radios do not always crosscheck news
before broadcasting.
4.3.1 Deviant case

45. There have been animated discussion over the salary of journalists, anchors and radio jockeys
whether there should be a standard level of pay. Some fully agree that all should be treated
equally. This is however in contradiction to the literature and to what is being practiced on
the international scene.
4.4 Plurality of news
In the third indicator the issue of multiple news sources has been under scrutiny with a
view to see whether the media provide citizens with reliable and objective news. Five
indicators were set as a guide:
1. Are there plurality of public and private news sources (e.g., print, broadcast, Internet, mobile)
and do they offer multiple viewpoints?
2. Does the state or public media reflect the views of the political spectrum, are non-partisan,
and serve the public interest?
3. Do private media produce their own news?
4. Does transparency of media ownership allows consumers to judge the objectivity of news?
5. Do the media provide news coverage and information about local, national, and international
issues?
Theme: Multiple News sources
Table 3.1: Public and private sources
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Public and
private
sources
Generally speaking, various political viewpoints get necessary coverage
in the media, in the electronic media and in the written press. It‟s not
difficult for members of the public to check sources of information given
that competition exists in the media at the level of radios and newspapers.

46. Anonymous 2 Like any other country, Mauritius has a specific identity and media
reflects the intricacies of the mindset. Though, I would like to point out
that any media organisation rarely is completely objective. There is
usually a trend of thought which rules the outlook of the report. Despite
change in public expectation and access to information through different
channels of information and technology, the access remains restricted.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
There is a plurality of newspapers.
Soorajshen
Gopal
There are diverse news sources.
Jean Max Baya Multiple news sources do provide citizens with reliable news though not
always objective. Apart from newspapers, television and radio, members
of the public have easy access to internet, Facebook, Twitter and other
social media. Hence, they are in a position to choose but also to compare
news which are imparted to them.
Table 3.2: Ownership
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Ownership As far as transparency of the media is concerned, especially transparency
of ownership, the link is more than obvious between the written press and
private radios, even if this has no incidence on the issue of objectivity.
Vandhana
Gungabissoon
All owners are known but some use the company to represent them.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
The concentration of ownership in the media does not really allow
plurality of the press.
Nawaz Noorbux It is a worldwide phenomenon: economic groups are more and more
present in the shareholding of the media. But this did not affect or very
less their editorial line.
Table 3.3: Coverage
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings

47. Anonymous 1 Coverage The press is vibrant in the country, but citizens are not sufficiently
informed about regional and international events. This is offset by other
sources, thanks to social networking tools. Some local media rely too
much on local political events which are not necessarily of national
interest.
Anonymous 2 I guess that we do have good access to different types of media but more
synchronisation is needed to actually match the aspirations of citizens.
This is found especially on controversial issues, where there is a lack of
objective reports showing both aspects, no matter the real conviction of
the person producing the information.
Vandhana
Gungabissoon
With social media, for e.g., Facebook application on mobile, people
obtain national and international news instantly if they are a member of
the page.
Marc Ayle Duval News items are not really objective. There is distortion of information
shared sometimes with the advent of new technology.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
Most media cover major local and international events.
Shaan Kootbally The media do have some freedom of coverage but some are not even not
worthy; only done to fill pages or time of broadcast.
Rizwaan
Khodabux
There is a good coverage of local, national and international news. With
citizen journalism, there are sometime lots of information which can
cause confusion.
Jean Max Baya Generally speaking coverage regarding the political and the socio-
economic spectrum is well balanced. Moreover, media reporting often
have a pedagogical dimension when it comes to news related to the
financial sector.
Table 3.4: Private Media
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 Private media No community media exists in rural or urban areas which is a clear
setback in a country where democracy is a tradition.
Ashraf
Oozeerally
With the coming into operation of private radios and private international
channels, the supply of information has been constantly on the rise. This
has been backed by the emergence of social media over the past years.
Avinash Most private radios need to look for their own news but they also follow

48. Bissoondoyal major events.
Marc Ayle Duval It is the duty of the Citizens Advice Bureau and government advisers to
help the population.
Jayen
Teeroovengadum
The radios play a social role in helping the citizens with various
programmes where the doors of government institutions seem to have
been closed.
Anonymous 2 Space issues don‟t really apply to Mauritius for coverage of the whole
area but I would say that transparency remains a major thorn. If private
media feel the urge to give a fairer account to trigger a more critical view
of topics brought up and state bodies maintain a more refrained flow, the
balance between mere gossip and the over-protective attitude to the piece
of news, fails to be achieved.
Table 3.5: State Media
Participant
Name
Sub Theme Findings
Anonymous 1 State Media The situation is quite different at the level of news broadcast on
television, which has to be factual and report the event as it happens. A
lot of focus is on cultural and educational programming compared to
other sources.
Avinash
Bissoondoyal
State media covers official activities of the government but also cover
areas which are not covered by the private press like culinary excerpts or
regional / local activities.
Rizwaan
Khodabux
Politics of public media tend to show news which is not objective.
Dharmendar
Sesungkur
The Public media is perceived to be too biased, as always.
4.4.1 Deviant case
The issues regarding the public service provoked some passionate debate with information
versus education. Some recognise that the MBC is playing its role in educating the nation.
This is in line with the literature. Conversely, the private radios seem to be neglecting its
educating role whilst concentrating more on information.

49. 4.5 Word coding
After transcribing the discussions, Nvivo 10 for windows, a qualitative data analysis
software, was used for a word frequency investigation. It is without surprise that the word
‗journalist‘ was cited the most followed by ‗media‘, ‗radio‘, ‗information‘, and ‗news‘ among
others. We can thus deduce that the participants have been deliberating precisely on the topic
under review thus minimising and deviance.
Nvivo Word Analysis
Word Length Count Weighted Percentage (%)
journalists 11 32 2.06
media 5 29 1.78
radio 5 21 1.35
information 11 19 1.28
news 4 18 1.28
press 5 18 0.92
freedom 7 16 0.92
public 6 13 0.85
mbc 3 12 0.85
private 7 12 0.71
government 10 10 0.71
pay 3 10 0.57
events 6 8 0.57
done 4 7 0.50
even 4 7 0.50
level 5 7 0.50
need 4 7 0.50
right 5 7 0.50

50. sources 7 7 0.50
act 3 6 0.43
event 5 6 0.43
Figure 1.1: Nvivo Word Analysis
The above figures are reflected in the Nvivo Cloud Tag as follows:-
Figure 1.2: Nvivo Word Cloud
4.7 The scoring
As explained in ‗The scoring system‘ at 3.4.2.1, the participants had to give a score to each of
the five questions of the three main indicators. Their markings were thus averaged as
follows:-
Panellist’s Markings
Participant News Freedom Professionalism News sources
Anonymous 1 3.1 2.0 2.5
A. Oozeerally 2.2 2.8 1.8
V. Gungabissoon 2.3 2.9 2.7

51. M. A. Duval 2.8 3.3 2.1
A. Bissoondoyal 2.7 2.9 2.7
N. Noorbux 1.4 2.7 2.2
S. Kootbally 3.3 2.8 2.8
R. Khodabux 1.9 3.2 3.2
D. Seesungkur 2.8 3.0 2.4
S. Gopal 2.8 2.6 2.9
J. Teeroovengadum 3.0 2.6 2.8
J.M Baya 3.1 2.9 3.5
Anonymous 2 3.1 2.0 2.1
Figure 1.3: Scores given by panellists
4.8 Conclusion
The discussions were done in all transparency and fairness to each and every participant.
They all have the opportunity to voice out their opinion and all their explanations were taken
into account. They also supplied their scoring for each questions of each three indicators.

52. CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS
5.1 Introduction
The discussions on the three main indicators allowed an open exchange of feelings and
opinions. Judgments were stated and debated. It happened that digressions occurred and
factual errors were easily corrected. New dimensions and directions were elaborated,
providing additional and unexpected information. Constant meetings allowed establishment
of rapport with interviewees promoting ease and straightforwardness.
5.2 Protection and promotion of free speech
Five indicators were used to gauge whether legal and social norms protect and promote free
speech and access to public information.
5.2.1 News freedom
There was unanimity that the letters of freedom of the press are enshrined in the Constitution
of the Republic of Mauritius. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the law, Avinash
Bissoondoyal told: “Provisions do exist in the Constitution as to the individual‟s right to
express himself publicly. This state of affairs is well entrenched in the democratic process, as
it can be seen in everyday life of the population, at the level of Civil Society, NGOs, trade
unions and social media,” Anonymous 1. Vandhana Gungabissoon explained that freedom of
speech exists but sometimes media are subject to attack and brought to court. “Some
media help some politicians. Others for fear of being blacklisted or not to be victimised by
the power, try to be quiet”. This is however not the case per Chenganna‘s research. Marc
Ayle Duval said that people are free to express their opinions on issues. Jean-Max Baya
explained how “the Constitution provides for freedom of expression. The media has been free
ever since the publication of the first newspaper as far back as the 17th
century”. Graves
(2007) is agreeable to this quote. Soorajshen Gopal said that “Mauritius is on the right side
regarding freedom of expression. In life, there is always room from improvement. If you got