Mauritius Media
Opera house, Port Louis
Courtesy Mari G. Borstelmann
The news media in Mauritius, especially the press, are
lively
and free. During the 1970s, the government attempted to
impose
some restrictions, particularly on those newspapers
opposed to
its policies, but fierce opposition led to the elimination
of the
laws.
There were five French dailies (the two principal ones
being
L'Express and Le Mauricien) and two small
Chinese
dailies with a combined circulation of more than 80,000 in
1993.
Several weekly, biweekly and monthly papers and magazines
are
also published, some of them in English. Most of the
printed
media are in the hands of political parties, religious
organizations, or private firms.
The government controls the Mauritius Broadcasting
Corporation (MBC), which regulates television and radio
broadcasting. Mauritius has two television and two radio
stations, which broadcast in twelve languages. About 50
percent
of MBC broadcasts are in French, 25 percent in Hindi or
Bhojpuri,
14 percent in English, and 11 percent in other languages.
Most
Mauritians also receive French television broadcasts from
Reunion.
Data as of August 1994
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