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Press Freedom in Africa 2009
 

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 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 18 22 21 61 Not Free
Benin 11 10 10 31 Partly Free
Botswana 9 17 11 37 Partly Free
Burkina Faso 13 15 13 41 Partly Free
Burundi 21 30 24 75 Not Free
Cameroon 20 24 21 65 Not Free
Cape Verde 6 10 12 28 Free
Central African Rep. 19 23 19 61 Not Free
Chad 24 31 21 76 Not Free
Comoros 14 21 15 50 Partly Free
Congo-Brazzaville 17 19 17 53 Partly Free
Congo-Kinshasa 25 32 24 81 Not Free
Côte d'Ivoire 21 27 19 67 Not Free
Djibouti 24 26 23 73 Not Free
Equatorial Guinea 27 36 27 90 Not Free
Eritrea 30 40 24 94 Not Free
Ethiopia 25 33 18 76 Not Free
Gabon 24 23 22 69 Not Free
The Gambia 25 34 20 79 Not Free
Ghana 8 9 9 26 Free
Guinea 22 27 17 66 Not Free
Guinea-Bissau 15 22 15 52 Partly Free
Kenya 21 21 18 60 Partly Free
Lesotho 14 19 15 48 Partly Free
Liberia 17 25 21 63 Not Free
Madagascar 14 22 15 51 Partly Free
Malawi 17 21 18 56 Partly Free
Mali 9 9 8 26 Free
Mauritania 18 22 18 58 Partly Free
Mauritius 6 8 12 26 Free
Mozambique 12 15 14 41 Partly Free
Namibia 8 10 12 30 Free
Niger 22 25 17 64 Not Free
Nigeria 15 22 17 54 Partly Free
Rwanda 25 34 26 85 Not Free
São Tomé & Príncipe 4 10 14 28 Free
Senegal 18 21 14 53 Partly Free
Seychelles 20 20 19 59 Partly Free
Sierra Leone 18 22 16 56 Partly Free
Somalia 27 35 22 84 Not Free
South Africa 9 12 9 30 Free
Sudan 27 29 22 78 Not Free
Swaziland 25 26 25 76 Not Free
Tanzania 16 19 15 50 Partly Free
Togo 23 27 22 72 Not Free
Uganda 20 20 13 53 Partly Free
Zambia 20 25 20 65 Not Free
Zimbabwe 29 32 27 88 Not Free
 
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
There were no Status Changes since the last survey.
 
 
 
 
 

Press Freedom in Africa

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