Online Newspapers, Live TV Channels, Radios

The media outlets of Reunion Island have a long history. It was a French-language newspaper that started the journey on the island for the first time. But the media outlets have not bloomed here like the neighboring countries. The population is one of the favorable aspects that helped the media outlets to bloom here than the neighboring regions.

At present, the traditional media outlets refer to the print, broadcast and electronic media outlets. The nation has some print media outlets who provide the generalized issues to the public. And the readerships of the newspapers are higher. First of all, the rate of literacy is adorable in the country and so the readership has grown than the neighboring states. But there are some other people who are still fond of television and radios as those types of media outlets require no literacy issues.

The media outlets in the country are always not able to express their own thoughts due to some censorship issues. In fact, the media outlets are not always allowed to express their thoughts and opinions. The government has some censorship issues with the media outlet. The government does not want to create any anarchic situations in the country. Often the media outlets play an influential role in creating such situations across the nation. So, the government has made some obligations for the media outlets and they are to follow the rules. The constant censorship has disappeared but there still some self-censorship is available on the island.

The first newspaper in the nation was published back in 1773 and it was a daily newspaper. But the newspapers mostly served as the notification center for the island inhabitants. But gradually, they covered all the spheres of people’s lives. Earlier and in the beginning of the media history, it was a tool for the government to declare any notice or circular for the public interest. But with the change of time, it has become the source of all types of information for the people living on the island.

In the early days of print outlets, the newspapers used to be published in both public and secret manner. Some of the newspapers used to publish their copies for the public while some others were used for underground publication. Those newspapers were not for the people rather for a certain group of people. Some of the newspapers started some revolutionary works. They used to apply cartoons, caricatures, and illustrations with the news stories which gained a huge popularity in the island. Gradually, the trend of such illustrations became a constant part of media outlets, particularly for the print outlets.

Currently, around nine newspapers are under operation on the island and they come with a wide variety of news and information for the readers. They provide news and views of different interests and the readership and circulation of the newspapers are also smart and adorable. But the print media outlets maintain some sort of self-censorship.

The nation has a single television channel of its own but it relays some foreign and neighboring television channels as well. The television channels mostly broadcast programs and events of varied interest. The state television channel is subject to censorship but the foreign channels do not have such issues.

The nation has over 50 radio stations and the number of audience for the radio stations is huge. Most of the radio stations are FM and only two of them are AM. And there are no shortwave radio stations are available in the country.

The use of the internet is also notable. Most of the people use the internet for their social communication and some of them also use it to know about the world and happening around them. But the rise of online media outlets is not so prominent in the area.