Supreme Court Justice Breyer Opens Media Program in Mozambique

In a ceremony attended by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Douglas Griffiths, U.S. and Mozambican government officials and representatives of the media, IREX officially launched the Mozambique Media Strengthening Program (MSP) in Maputo yesterday.

Justice Breyer spoke about the press as essential to freedom of expression and, as such, instrumental in securing democratic rights and holding people to account. The justice said, with a smile, that he constantly had to remind himself as a judge "it is important to protect journalists not only when they are nice to you, but also when they are mean to you." Justice Breyer expressed great delight at being able to attend the program launch and praised Mozambique for its continued commitment to democracy and freedom of the press.

The MSP program supports the Mozambican media sector to provide high-quality information to citizens, improve accountability of the Government towards the electorate, and promote a free, open, diverse, and self-sustained media environment. The five-year $10 million program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development with additional assistance from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Often cited by USAID as one of its flagship programs, the MSP will focus on professional capacity building, technical support and strategic interventions through targeted consultancies, customized trainings and other high-impact activities within the media sector. “We hope the Media Strengthening Program will contribute to the development of a healthy and diverse media sector in Mozambique over the coming years,” said Arild Drivdal, head of the program. “We will build the capacity of practicing journalists, students, media entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations through a variety of training opportunities.”

The program will emphasize topical issues for the Mozambican environment, such as health reporting, investigative journalism, and elections reporting. Activities include:   

• A fellowship program for practicing journalists
• Training courses for media business managers
• Trainings on investigative journalism
• Support for new and emerging media associations in key areas
• Management consulting services to media businesses
• Enhanced journalism education with the  School of Communication and Arts (ECA) and the Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies in South Africa

As part of the launch, IREX also announced the establishment of a legal support fund for journalists aimed at assisting media professionals who are sued for carrying out their regular work. The legal support fund is part of an effort to strengthen both the security and legal support of journalists, an effort that is much enhanced by building a strong support network among journalists, so that any infringement on the rights of any individual journalist be seen as an infringement on the free media overall.