Sociedade de Noticias is a state-owned publisher in Mozambique that publishes the most circulated newspaper in the country, the daily Notícias and the weeklies Domingo and Desafio.
Media assets
Newspapers: Noticias, Domingo, Desafio
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Sociedade de Notícias is a shareholding company in which the Mozambican government holds 99% of the shares. The state owns the publisher through the Bank of Mozambique, the country’s central bank. As a majority shareholder, the government appoints the Council of Administration, the company’s main governing structure.
Source of funding and budget
The publications owned by Sociedade de Noticias are funded through revenues generated by advertising sales as well as other commercial income (such as printing services). In 2023, the company reported total sales revenues of MZN 423m (US$ 6.56m), a decline from MZN 471m (US$ 7.3m) in the previous year, according to data from IGEPE, the body responsible for monitoring state-run companies in Mozambique.
Editorial independence
Although Sociedade de Noticias has been making notable efforts to pursue an independent editorial policy, its papers, especially Noticias, the leading title, are visibly supportive of government policies, a result of the influence that the government has as a majority shareholder in the publisher’s internal affairs, according to local journalists and experts.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment mechanism to validate the editorial independence of the newspapers run by Sociedade de Noticias have been identified.
June 2024