Maputo, Sept. 4, 2026 (Lusa) - It was announced on Friday that Mozambique is to introduce a Media Barometer, a permanent mechanism for monitoring the media, assessing audience trust and tracking phenomena such as disinformation and deepfakes.
The project, devised by the Higher School of Journalism (ESJ), was presented today by the institution's director-general, Alexandre Zavala, at the 5th Coordinating Council of the Government's Information Office (GabInfo), which is taking place in Maputo.
The initiative aims to create a permanent mechanism for collecting, processing and analysing data on the sector, enabling the evolution of the national media system to be monitored in a context characterised by digital transformation, the expansion of social media and the rapid circulation of information.
«The Barometer is intended to measure audience perceptions and levels of trust, assess pluralism and diversity of information, and monitor the prevalence and impact of disinformation, fake news and deepfakes on the national media ecosystem,» states GabInfo, the body overseeing the ESJ, in a press release.
Among the Barometer's objectives are the mapping and characterisation of media organisations, taking into account their nature, geographical coverage and editorial profiles, as well as monitoring the production and dissemination of domestic content and the use of native languages in news content.
The initiative is also set to assess media coverage of government actions, identify gaps and constraints on the practice of journalism, and analyse audience perceptions, including levels of trust in the media.
Plans are in place to establish a National Media Indicators System, designed for the systematic production of data, the creation of statistical series and the regional monitoring of media organisations.
The Barometer will have a Technical and Scientific Council responsible for methodological, scientific and strategic oversight, to ensure the quality and credibility of data collection, processing and analysis.
The need for such a tool arises in a sector which, according to a GabInfo survey carried out in 2025, comprised 1,207 active media outlets, including 275 radio stations, 785 publications and 147 television channels, primarily broadcast via the internet.
According to the same survey, the city of Maputo alone accounted for 659 publications of various kinds, 81 television channels – mainly via the internet – and 42 radio stations. In Nampula province, 35 radio stations, 13 television channels and 25 publications were identified.
The announcement of the Barometer also precedes the entry into force, at the end of the year, of the new legal framework for the media, approved in 2026 to replace the 1991 Press Act, which will now expressly cover publications of an informative and journalistic nature that disseminate content exclusively via the internet.
The new legislation strengthens guarantees of press freedom, establishes rules to limit the concentration of media ownership and sets the maximum foreign capital stake in the sector at 35%. Media organisations will also be required to adopt an editorial charter and comply with registration and operational rules.
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