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 |
25 |
21 |
64 |
Not Free |
| Benin |
11 |
12 |
10 |
33 |
Partly Free |
| Botswana |
11 |
17 |
12 |
40 |
Partly Free |
| Burkina Faso |
13 |
15 |
13 |
41 |
Partly Free |
| Burundi |
22 |
30 |
22 |
74 |
Not Free |
| Cameroon |
21 |
25 |
21 |
67 |
Not Free |
| Cape Verde |
6 |
9 |
12 |
27 |
Free |
| Central African Rep. |
19 |
23 |
19 |
61 |
Not Free |
| Chad |
23 |
31 |
21 |
75 |
Not Free |
| Comoros |
14 |
19 |
15 |
48 |
Partly Free |
| Congo-Brazzaville |
16 |
21 |
17 |
54 |
Partly Free |
| Congo-Kinshasa |
25 |
32 |
24 |
81 |
Not Free |
| Côte d'Ivoire |
21 |
28 |
19 |
68 |
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 |
27 |
33 |
18 |
78 |
Not Free |
| Gabon |
24 |
23 |
22 |
69 |
Not Free |
| The Gambia |
26 |
35 |
20 |
81 |
Not Free |
| Ghana |
8 |
9 |
9 |
26 |
Free |
| Guinea |
17 |
25 |
17 |
59 |
Partly Free |
| Guinea-Bissau |
15 |
25 |
17 |
57 |
Partly Free |
| Kenya |
19 |
18 |
17 |
54 |
Partly Free |
| Lesotho |
14 |
19 |
15 |
48 |
Partly Free |
| Liberia |
16 |
22 |
21 |
59 |
Partly Free |
| Madagascar |
19 |
30 |
15 |
64 |
Not Free |
| Malawi |
18 |
19 |
18 |
55 |
Partly Free |
| Mali |
8 |
8 |
8 |
24 |
Free |
| Mauritania |
17 |
19 |
17 |
53 |
Partly Free |
| Mauritius |
6 |
9 |
13 |
28 |
Free |
| Mozambique |
13 |
17 |
14 |
44 |
Partly Free |
| Namibia |
9 |
14 |
11 |
34 |
Partly Free |
| Niger |
21 |
21 |
17 |
59 |
Partly Free |
| Nigeria |
14 |
21 |
17 |
52 |
Partly Free |
| Rwanda |
26 |
34 |
24 |
84 |
Not Free |
| São Tomé & Príncipe |
4 |
11 |
14 |
29 |
Free |
| Senegal |
20 |
20 |
14 |
54 |
Partly Free |
| Seychelles |
17 |
20 |
19 |
56 |
Partly Free |
| Sierra Leone |
15 |
22 |
16 |
53 |
Partly Free |
| Somalia |
27 |
35 |
22 |
84 |
Not Free |
| South Africa |
9 |
14 |
10 |
33 |
Partly Free |
| Sudan |
26 |
30 |
22 |
78 |
Not Free |
| Swaziland |
24 |
27 |
25 |
76 |
Not Free |
| Tanzania |
17 |
16 |
15 |
48 |
Partly Free |
| Togo |
23 |
28 |
22 |
73 |
Not Free |
| Uganda |
19 |
21 |
14 |
54 |
Partly Free |
| Zambia |
19 |
23 |
19 |
61 |
Not Free |
| Zimbabwe |
25 |
29 |
27 |
81 |
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
Guinea's score jumped from 71 to 59 points
due to legal measures enacted by a new transitional government at the beginning of the year, including a constitution providing
protection for press freedom and two new media laws passed in June. There was also a decrease in legal and physical harassment
of journalists, and a decline in censorship and other official attempts to restrict independent news coverage.
Liberia was upgraded to Partly Free due to
a more modest score change, from 61 to 59. The gain stemmed from the enactment of a freedom of information law and a decrease
in physical attacks on journalists.
Following the February ouster of its increasingly repressive
president, Mamadou Tandja, Niger's transitional military government created a new, more independent media
regulatory body and allowed the reopening of a private radio station that had been closed by the previous government. Legal
and extra-judicial harassment of journalists, censorship, and official control over media content were all substantially reduced
in 2010, while reporters' ability to cover the news and media diversity improved, boosting Niger's score from 68 to 59.
up or down indicates a change in Status since the last survey.
