Sociedade de Notícias is a state-owned publishing house and one of Mozambique’s most influential media entities. It owns and operates Notícias, the country’s highest-circulation daily newspaper, as well as the widely read Domingo(Sunday weekly) and the sports weekly Desafio. With headquarters in Maputo, the company holds a dominant position in the Mozambican print media landscape.
Media assets
Newspapers: Noticias, Domingo, Desafio
State Media Matrix Typology
Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Sociedade de Notícias functions as a shareholding company, with the Mozambican state controlling 99% of its shares. This ownership stake is held via the Bank of Mozambique, the country’s central bank. As the majority shareholder, the government retains the authority to appoint the company’s Council of Administration, which serves as its principal decision-making body. This institutional structure places the publisher firmly under public sector control, both financially and politically.
In practice, the Council’s composition ensures that key editorial and strategic decisions are influenced—if not outright directed—by state actors. This governance model has long raised questions about the extent to which the company’s editorial independence can be meaningfully exercised.
Source of funding and budget
The company sustains itself primarily through advertising revenues and commercial printing services. However, its financial performance has shown signs of decline in recent years.
According to a 2024 report by IGEPE (Instituto de Gestão das Participações do Estado), the state agency overseeing public enterprises, Sociedade de Notícias posted total revenues of MZN 423 million (approx. US$ 6.56 million) in 2023—a decrease from MZN 471 million (US$ 7.3 million) in 2022. The drop reflects broader structural challenges facing the print media sector, including a shift toward digital platforms and fluctuating advertising markets.
Although the company does not depend directly on annual state subsidies in the manner of public broadcasters, its survival remains closely tied to government-linked advertising contracts and public institutional print orders, which act as indirect forms of state support.
As of mid-2025, no updated financial disclosures for the 2024 fiscal year have been published, and the company’s current liquidity position is unclear. Internal sources report growing pressure to cut costs amid declining print ad revenues, with discussions underway to downsize newsroom operations or consolidate weekend editions.
Editorial independence
While Sociedade de Notícias has made periodic efforts to project editorial neutrality, particularly in its non-political reporting, its flagship newspaper Notícias remains visibly aligned with government policy positions, according to local journalists and media experts consulted for this report. Coverage often echoes the official line, and dissenting or opposition perspectives are either underrepresented or framed within a critical lens.
This is largely attributed to the government’s decisive influence over the company’s governance, which translates into editorial caution and self-censorship among newsroom staff. Despite the presence of internal editorial guidelines, there is no statutory framework guaranteeing editorial independence, nor is there an independent oversight body to monitor or assess the company’s compliance with principles of press freedom or impartiality.
In essence, the editorial tone of Notícias and its sister publications reflects the broader limitations of public-interest journalism in a state-dominated media environment.
June 2025