Governments and politicians worldwide frequently resort to the use of official advertising or public funding to reward media outlets and individual journalists who are favourable to them. At the same time they are withdrawing advertising from newspapers that report independently and express dissenting opinions, investigate government failures or wrongdoings, challenge untenable policies and call for reforms, often threatening the very survival of newspapers.

These tactics are particularly present in Africa, Latin America, South and East Asia, and some of the countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union.

WAN condemns these practices as an attack on press freedom and calls on governments to:

  promote greater transparency in the process of awarding governmental advertising contracts and public funding to newspapers;

  develop legal mechanisms to prevent the withdrawal of advertising as a means to exert pressure on independent media;

  fully recognise the right and duty of a free press to report on matters of public interest without indirect pressures and interference.

The Board of WAN urges all governments to work in favour of an environment in which media, independent of governmental, political or economic control can freely develop.