Global Integrity Report

Angola Home

Facts

Timeline

Notebook

Integrity Scorecard

2008 Assessment

Angola: Integrity Indicators Scorecard

Angola : Integrity Scorecard Report > Sub-Category: Media
Indicators		Score
5	Are media and free speech protected?	100
6	Are citizens able to form print media entities?	50
7	Are citizens able to form broadcast (radio and TV) media entities?	6
8	Can citizens freely use the Internet?	100
9	Are the media able to report on corruption?	42
10	Are the media credible sources of information?	60
11	Are journalists safe when investigating corruption?	67

Indicator and sub-Indicator Details

Are media and free speech protected?

5a: In law, freedom of the media is guaranteed.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: The Constitution of Angola Art. 35.

The Media Law, No. 7/06 of May 15, 2006, Art. 1 ([ LINK ]).

5b: In law, freedom of speech is guaranteed.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: The Constitution of Angola Art. 32.

Are citizens able to form print media entities?

6a: In practice, the government does not create barriers to form a print media entity.

Score:

100

Comments: Luanda has a number of private print media entities in the shape of weeklies and, recently, two new weeklies have been launched. All print media must be registered and licensed through a somewhat bureaucratic process involving a lot of documentation. It is not clear whether registration can be refused, but there are concerns that the provisions of article 21 of the law may limit who may become a journalist or set up a media outlet (see report of Article 19, p. 13).

References: 1. Article 19, Aug. 2007, Freedom of Expression and the Angolan Elections, [ LINK ].

2. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, Nov. 10, Luanda.

6b: In law, where a print media license is necessary, there is an appeal mechanism if a license is denied or revoked.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: The Media Law, No. 7/06 of May 15, 2006 ([ LINK ]).

6c: In practice, where necessary, citizens can obtain a print media license within a reasonable time period.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: 1. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, Nov. 10, 2008, Luanda.

2. José Paulo, Media Program Officer, Open Society Institute Angola, Email exchange, Dec.12, 2008.

6d: In practice, where necessary, citizens can obtain a print media license at a reasonable cost.

Score:

100

Comments: Licenses are only issued in the capital, Luanda, but at no or low cost (especially if the journal or magazine is non-profit).

References: 1. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, Nov. 10, 2008, Luanda.

2. José Paulo, Media Program Officer, Open Society Institute Angola, Email exchange, Dec.12, 2008

Are citizens able to form broadcast (radio and TV) media entities?

7a: In practice, the government does not create barriers to form a broadcast (radio and TV) media entity.

Score:

100

Comments: Private radio stations are permitted to broadcast only on a regional basis whereas the state-owned radio and TV stations are allowed to broadcast on a national scale. Radio Ecclesia, the independent Catholic radio, has tried to get permission to widen its broadcast reach for several years without success. Before the elections, the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)-owned Radio Despertar was threatened with closure as the stations broadcasting range exceeded its 50 km limit. The government's geographic limitation of private radio stations broadcasts is widely viewed as a political tool. Some commentators speculate that the government applies a "co-optation" strategy by offering journalists better working conditions by moving to the state-owned media. Proof for this would require further investigation.

References: 1. BBC World Service Trust, Cândido Mendes and Barnaby Smith, 2006, African Media Development Initiative Angola Research findings and conclusions, [ LINK ].

2. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.

Peer Review Comments: Radio Ecclesia deserves further elaboration. The number of journalists who have left the station, either to government-controlled media or to other jobs is probably part of a campaign to reduce or eliminate the influence of this station. Radio Despertar conflicts with the authorities and also deserves further elaboration, both in the role they see for themselves and in the way the authorities expect them to behave.

7b: In law, where a broadcast (radio and TV) media license is necessary, there is an appeal mechanism if a license is denied or revoked.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: The Media Law, No. 7/06 of May 15, 2006 ([ LINK ]).

7c: In practice, where necessary, citizens can obtain a broadcast (radio and TV) media license within a reasonable time period.

Score:

100

Comments: It is not possible to get a license to broadcast nationally.

References: 1. Father Jacinto Wacussanga, Researcher, Centro de Estudos e Investigação Cientifica, November 5, 2008, Luanda 2. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, Luanda

7d: In practice, where necessary, citizens can obtain a broadcast (radio and TV) media license at a reasonable cost.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: 1. Father Jacinto Wacussanga, Researcher, Centro de Estudos e Investigação Cientifica, Nov. 5, 2008, Luanda.

2. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.

Can citizens freely use the Internet?

8a: In practice, the government does not prevent citizens from accessing content published on-line.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: 1. Father Jacinto Wacussanga, Researcher, Centro de Estudos e Investigação Cientifica, Nov. 5, 2008, Luanda.

2. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.

8b: In practice, the government does not censor citizens creating content on-line.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: 1. Father Jacinto Wacussanga, Researcher, Centro de Estudos e Investigação Cientifica, Nov. 5, 2008, Luanda.

2. Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, Nov. 10, Luanda.

Are the media able to report on corruption?

9a: In law, it is legal to report accurate news even if it damages the reputation of a public figure.

Score:

YES

Comments: The law is ambiguous as it highlights the importance of protecting the reputation ("good name") of individuals and does not make reference to whether this is not a violation of the law if it is based on accurate information.

References: The Media Law, No. 7/06 of May 15, 2006, ([ LINK ]).

9b: In practice, the government or media owners/distribution groups do not encourage self-censorship of corruption-related stories.

Score:

100

Comments: Given the ambiguity of the media law, it becomes both risky and very costly to report on corruption. Media entities in Angola face extraordinarily high operational costs and this, coupled with the government's active use of the defamation article, means that some editors think twice before letting their journalists engage in a corruption-related story. The case of the imprisoning of the director-general (DG) of the weekly Angolan newspaper Semanário Angolense has been referred to as an example of government intimidation of the press. The DG was sentenced to eight months in prison and the payment of damages amounting to US$250,000 to former Angolan Minister of Justice and current Government Ombudsman Paulo Tchipilica.

References: Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.

João da Silva Candembo (Acting Director General): Communique by Semanario Angolense, Oct. 3, 2007, [ LINK ].

9c: In practice, there is no prior government restraint (pre-publication censoring) on publishing corruption-related stories.

Score:

100

Comments: There is no specific pre-publication censoring mechanism of private media outlets. The interviewee and key institutions such as Article 19 and the Media Institute of Southern Africa, which monitors Angolan press, make no mention of such a practice.

References: Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008 Luanda.

Media Institute of Southern Africa (2008), Angola, [ LINK ].

Article 19 (August 2007): Freedom of Expression and the Angolan Elections, [ LINK ].

Are the media credible sources of information?

10a: In law, print media companies are required to publicly disclose their ownership.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: Lei de Imprensa 7/06 (Press law of July 2006), article 26.

10b: In law, broadcast (radio and TV) media companies are required to publicly disclose their ownership.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: Lei de Imprensa 7/06 (Press law of July 2006), article 26.

10c: In practice, journalists and editors adhere to strict, professional practices in their reporting.

Score:

100

Comments: Investigative journalism in Angola suffers from lack of skills, the direct and indirect pressure on critical media and the impossibility to access to official information. Moreover, an interviewee noted that there have been some violations of the code of conduct by journalists that were often due to a lack of training but with no bad intentions; this sometimes happened as a result of the competition with other private newspapers.

References: Media Institute of Southern Africa (2008): Angola, [ LINK ].

Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.

Peer Review Comments: Media ownership and journalistic priorities all have some connection to the ruling elite. Media reporting reflects disagreements within the governing party much more than the general public opinion or objective reporting.

10d: In practice, during the most recent election, political parties or independent candidates received fair media coverage.

Score:

100

Comments: It is important here to distinguish between private and public media. Public media (which is the only one with national coverage) had a clear bias towards the incumbent party (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola -- MPLA), whereas the coverage by private media outlets was overall balanced. The European Union (EU) observer mission found that despite allocating equal free airtime on a daily basis to all parties contesting the elections during the entire campaign period "TPA [Televisao Publica De Angola], RNA {Radio Nacional de Angola] and state-owned Jornal de Angola provided coverage of the electoral campaign that was generally biased in favour of the ruling party."

References: EU Election Observation Mission Angola, Legislative Election, 8 September 2008 - PRELIMINARY STATEMENT, p. 3, [ LINK ] Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, Luanda

10e: In practice, political parties and candidates have equitable access to state-owned media outlets.

Score:

100

Comments: Political parties do not have equitable access to state-owned media outlets. This was exemplified during the most recent elections where there was failure to avoid bias in coverage despite the allocation of equal free airtime on a daily basis to all parties contesting the elections during the entire campaign period.

References: EU Election Observation Mission Angola, Legislative Election, Sept. 8, 2008 - PRELIMINARY STATEMENT, p. 3, [ LINK ].

Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.

Are journalists safe when investigating corruption?

11a: In practice, in the past year, no journalists investigating corruption have been imprisoned.

Score:

YES

$Scoring Criteria :: YES: A YES score is earned if there were no journalists imprisoned related to work covering corruption during the study period. A YES score is positive. NO: A NO score is earned if any journalist was jailed because of his/her work covering corruption during the study period. The causal relationship between the official charges and the journalist\'s work may not be explicit, however the burden of proof here is low. If it seems likely that the journalist was imprisoned due to his or her work, then the indicator is scored as a NO. Corruption is defined broadly to include any abuses of power, not just the passing of bribes.$

Comments: The case of the imprisoning of the director-general of the weekly Angolan newspaper Semanário Angolense, Mr. Graca Campos, is an example of a journalist being jailed because of his work covering corruption. It seems likely that the journalist was imprisoned due to the nature of his work on former Angolan Minister of Justice and current Government Ombudsman Paulo Tchipilica's alleged benefits he received from alleged traffic of influences underlying a process of de-confiscation of real estate.

References: João da Silva Candembo (Acting Director General), Oct. 3, 2007, Communiqué by Semanario Angolense, [ LINK ].

CPJ (2007): Proeminente jornalista é mandado para a prisão por ação de difamação ([ LINK ]).

11b: In practice, in the past year, no journalists investigating corruption have been physically harmed.

Score:

YES

Comments: There are no reports of such incidents.

References: Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.

11c: In practice, in the past year, no journalists investigating corruption have been killed.

Score:

YES

$Scoring Criteria :: YES: A YES score is earned if there were no documented cases of journalists being killed because of their work covering corruption-related issues during the study period. A YES score is positive. NO: A NO score is earned if there were any documented cases where a journalist was killed in relation to his or her work covering corruption-related issues in the study period. The relationship between a mysterious death and an individual\'s work may not be clear, however the burden of proof here is low. If it is a reasonable guess that a person was killed in relation to his or her work on corruption issues, then the indicator is scored as a NO. Corruption is defined broadly to include any abuses of power, not just the passing of bribes.$

Comments: No such incidents have been reported.

References: Antonio Freitas, Chief Editor, Novo Jornal, November 10, 2008, Luanda.