AFRICAN ELECTIONS DATABASE

Home | About the Database | Terms & Definitions | Election Calendar | Election Chronology | Recent Elections | Electoral Authorities | Sub-National Elections | Freedom/Democracy/Human Rights | Site Updates | Links
Press Freedom in Africa 2007
 

africa_pressfreedom_2007.gif

 Table of African Countries
up or down indicates a change in Status since the last survey. 
 
Country Legal Environment (0-30) Political Environment (0-40) Economic Environment (0-30) Total Score
(0-100)
Status
Angola 17 24 21 62 Not Free
Benin 10 10 10 30 Free
Botswana 8 16 11 35 Partly Free
Burkina Faso 12 14 13 39 Partly Free
Burundi 22 31 24 77 Not Free
Cameroon 20 25 22 67 Not Free
Cape Verde 5 10 14 29 Free
Central African Republic 18 21 19 58 Partly Free
Chad 23 30 21 74 Not Free
Comoros 12 21 15 48 Partly Free
Congo-Brazzaville 17 17 17 51 Partly Free
Congo-Kinshasa 24 32 24 80 Not Free
Côte d'Ivoire 19 30 19 68 Not Free
Djibouti 23 25 21 69 Not Free
Equatorial Guinea 27 35 27 89 Not Free
Eritrea 30 40 24 94 Not Free
Ethiopia 27 30 20 77 Not Free
Gabon 24 23 22 69 Not Free
The Gambia 24 33 20 77 Not Free
Ghana 8 9 9 26 Free
Guinea 22 29 16 67 Not Free
Guinea-Bissau 14 19 15 48 Partly Free
Kenya 20 21 18 59 Partly Free
Lesotho 13 15 14 42 Partly Free
Liberia 19 23 22 65 Not Free
Madagascar 14 21 15 50 Partly Free
Malawi 16 20 17 53 Partly Free
Mali 7 9 8 24 Free
Mauritania 18 20 17 55 Partly Free
Mauritius 6 8 12 26 Free
Mozambique 11 15 14 40 Partly Free
Namibia 8 10 12 30 Free
Niger 21 20 17 58 Partly Free
Nigeria 14 24 17 55 Partly Free
Rwanda 24 34 26 84 Not Free
São Tomé & Príncipe 4 11 14 29 Free
Senegal 13 21 12 46 Partly Free
Seychelles 20 21 19 60 Partly Free
Sierra Leone 17 21 18 56 Partly Free
Somalia 27 34 24 85 Not Free
South Africa 7 12 9 28 Free
Sudan 27 30 24 81 Not Free
Swaziland 25 26 25 76 Not Free
Tanzania 16 20 15 51 Partly Free
Togo 22 31 21 74 Not Free
Uganda 20 21 13 54 Partly Free
Zambia 19 24 21 64 Not Free
Zimbabwe 29 33 27 89 Not Free
 
Survey Methodology
The Legal Environment encompasses both an examination of the laws and regulations that could influence media content as well as the government's inclination to use these laws and legal institutions in order to restrict the media's ability to operate. Issues assessed include the positive impact of legal and constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression; the potentially negative aspects of security legislation, the penal code and other criminal statutes; penalties for libel and defamation; the existence of and ability to use Freedom of Information legislation; the independence of the judiciary and of official media regulatory bodies; registration requirements for both media outlets and journalists; and the ability of journalists' groups to operate freely.
Under the category of Political Environment, the survey evaluates the degree of political control over the content of news media. Issues examined in this category include the editorial independence of both the state-owned and privately-owned media; access to information and sources; official censorship and self-censorship; the vibrancy of the media; the ability of both foreign and local reporters to cover the news freely and without harassment; and the intimidation of journalists by the state or other actors, including arbitrary detention and imprisonment, violent assaults, and other threats.
Economic Environment: This includes the structure of media ownership; transparency and concentration of ownership; the costs of establishing media as well as of production and distribution; the selective withholding of advertising or subsidies by the state or other actors; the impact of corruption and bribery on content; and the extent to which the economic situation in a country impacts the development of the media.
Total Score and Status: A country's total score is based on the total of the three categories: a score of 0-30 places the country in the "Free" press group, 31-60 in "Partly Free," and 61-100 in the "Not Free" press group.
 
Status Changes
Cape Verde's rating moved from Partly Free to Free as a result of the continued consolidation of democratic trends leading to greater opening in the media environment and a decrease in the number of cases of legal harassment and attacks on journalists.
The Central African Republic's rating improved from Not Free to Partly Free as a result of improvements in the environment for media following the government's adherence to, and enforcement of, the new press law and constitution passed in 2005 respecting freedom of expression and decriminalizing libel.
 
 
 
 
 

Press Freedom in Africa

1989-2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012