Afghanistan
Despite literacy levels as low as 20%, an estimated 265 dailies, weeklies and other publications were published in 2002, 150 of those distributed in the capital, Kabul.
Albania
Local media were booming in 2002. Five new TV stations were established, making a total of 39 local channels countrywide, and 12 newspapers were launched in 2002, nine of them local.
Algeria
With a population of 32 million people, 60% of households are estimated to have satellite dishes. However, radio and television remain under government control. Following the sending of notices by government to newspapers to settle debts due state-owned printing house debts, most dailies turned to electronic readership.
Andorra
With a population of 69,000 people, in 2003 there were two radio stations (one state-owned, one private), six TV stations, two independent daily newspapers and several weeklies in Andorra.
Angola
Seven private weekly newspapers were published in 2002, with average print-run of 20,000. The average cost per copy is 80 US cents, of which up to 40 cents represented printing costs. Defamation of the president or his representatives remains a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment or fines, and 80% of full time journalists are state employees.
Anguilla
Despite only 13,000 inhabitants, 37 cable TV channels are available in Anguilla, together with 2 weekly newspapers.
Antigua and Barbuda
Media ownership remains highly concentrated in Antigua and Barbuda, economically dependent on the ruling Antigua Labour Party and the Bird family. The government owns one of the three main radio stations, the prime minister’s brother the second, and another brother is the principal owner of the sole TV cable company.
Armenia
Kiosk sales and subscriptions account for approximately 60% of generated income for newspapers. Most newspapers still depend on the state-owned distribution system, consisting of more than 200 kiosks.
Being cheaper to advertise on television, advertising in newspapers is more often a political rather than business decision and not seen as an investment.
The number of dailies (local and national) rose from 5 in 2001, to 12 in 2002.
Azerbaijan
A spate of new titles appeared in 2003, bringing the total beyond 1000 titles, although only about 10% of these appeared regularly. In the same year, the country saw no independent TV and radio channels.
In 2003 Azerbaijani journalists established the first Press Council in the territory of CIS.
Bahrain
With a population of just over 1 million, the top selling daily newspaper, Al Ayam, had a circulation in 2001 of 36,000.
Bangladesh
While the government retains ownership and licensing control over electronic media, all newspapers in Bangladesh are in the private domain. Approximately 1,566 newspapers and periodicals are published from Bangladesh in Bengali and English.
In July 2002, the government banned an issue of Newsweek which reportedly contained "misleading and objectionable" comments about the Koran.
Belarus
Many newspapers were suspended in Belarus in 2002 and 2003, including the independent newspaper Nasha Svaboda, after receiving a fine of US$55,000 in a libel suit by a government official who claimed an article injured his reputation.
A law stipulates that public insults or libel against the president may be punished by up to 4 years in prison, 2 years in labour camp, or by a large fine.
Owning the only national television station, the government maintains control over content and the appointment of senior editors. It also imposes pressure on businesses not to advertise with independent media.
Belize
Despite having a population of 267,000, there are no daily newspapers in Belize. Ten privately owned weekly newspapers are published, three of which are owned by major political parties.
Benin
In a country of 6.8 million people, the top selling daily newspaper, La Nation, has the meagre circulation figure of 5,000 copies.
Bhutan
With just over 2 million inhabitants, the only regular publication in Bhutan is the weekly newspaper Kuensel, published in three languages: English, Dzongkha and Nepali. Readership of foreign press primarily limited to government officials.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Although there are around 600 public print media on the Bosnian market, with the publication of a total of 226 newspapers, only an estimated 5% of the population read newspapers on a regular basis.
Brunei
Private newspapers in the sultanate of Brunei are either owned and controlled by the sultan’s family, or they exercise self-censorship on political and religious matters.
In 2001, the government adopted the Local Newspapers Order 2001. This first press law includes provisions for prison sentences of up to three years and fines u to 40,000 Brunei dollars (approximately 20,000 Euros) for the publication of ’false news’.
In 2002, the country’s second biggest daily newspaper, the News Express and three journalists were sued successfully for slander and defamation by a private legal firm. The company that owned the newspaper declared bankruptcy and closed.
Bulgaria
The Bulgarian newspaper market saw a huge growth in 2003, with the number of daily titles increasing from 48 in 2002 to 63 in 2003. Online editions of dailies decreased from 27 in 2000 to 14 in 2003.
Burundi
The state-run National Communication Council, which is charged with regulating the media, occasionally bans or suspends independent publications and restricts permissible reporting. The one opposition newspaper, La Lumiere, was forced to close in 2001 after the publisher received anonymous threats following publication of financial and private information of military officials.
Cambodia
Advertising expenditure in newspapers doubled in Cambodia from US$1.9 million in 1999 to US$3.8 million in 2002. The top advertising category was Telecoms, representing US$774,000 in 2001.
Cape Verde
Despite a 1999 constitutional amendment which excludes using freedom of expression as a defence in cases involving defamation or offence to personal honour, no media outlets in 2002 reported direct pressure in their daily operations or business activities. Published in Portuguese, Cape Verde has three independent and one state-owned weekly newspapers but no daily newspaper.
Cayman Islands
With a large foreign banking presence in the Cayman islands, the Miami Herald, IHT, FT, and USA Today are on sale on the day of issue in Grand Cayman. The main daily newspaper, the Caymanina Compass, with a circulation of 10,000, is owned by Hollinger Inc.
Central African Republic
A media law prohibits the government from censoring the press and defines the rights and responsibilities of private media. While the government continued to dominate domestic broadcast media, libel cases are addressed in civil rather than criminal courts.
In contrast...
Democratic Republic Of Congo
The 1996 Press Law prescribes the death penalty for reporters convicted of disseminating false news, insulting the army, demoralizing the nation, or betraying the state in time of war.
Cook Islands
Although television is the most popular medium in Rarotonga island, the principal asset of the main newspaper, The Cook Islands News, is that most Cook Islanders have grown up reading it.
Costa Rica
Despite newspapers’ share of total advertising revenues falling from 33% in 2002 to 26% in 2003, the number of non-daily newspapers increased from 22 in 2002 to 29 in 2003, due to the emergence of 5 new regional newspapers.
Cuba
The number of recorded daily newspapers grew from 2 in 2000 to 18 in 2002, a increase of 800%. However, since 1995, an estimated 50 independent journalists have left the island, with the remaining 100-odd independent journalists being forced to send their articles by telephone or fax to the United States for use in foreign publications or on the internet.
Djibouti
The state owns and controls all electronic media. In 2000, however, the BBC began broadcasting its World Service in the country in conjunction with Radio-Television Djibouti (RTD), the official government station. Radio France Internationale also broadcasts in the country.
Dominican Republic
While the total number of titles in the Dominican Republic decreased from 18 in 1999 to 12 in 2002, the capital of Santo Domingo is home to three free newspapers, El Diario Libre, El Expreso and El Dia.
In the Dominican Republic, the government exerts economic pressure on the media through the denial of advertising revenues.
Ecuador
With an aggregate circulation of over 100,000 copies, the daily newspaper La Hora publishes 11 regional editions.
Egypt
Despite Egypt’s advertising sector is one of the fastest growing in the region, the Constitution restricts ownership of newspapers to public or private legal entities, corporate bodies, and political parties. Any individual may only own 10% of a newspaper.
The government holds a monopoly on the printing and distribution of newspapers, including those of the opposition parties. The editor-in-chief, if found negligent, can be considered criminally responsible for libel contained in any portion of the newspaper.
El Salvador
Article 24 of the Law of National Defence requires journalists to reveal their sources if the ’national interest’ is at stake.
Article 46 of the Enabling Law of the State Audit Court allows the court to keep secret its audits of government officials handling taxpayers’ money, impeding the investigation of corruption by journalists.
Equatorial Guinea
In 2002, in addition to the only domestic television station being government controlled and allowed to broadcast only a few hours a day, no newspaper managed to publish more than about six issues during the year, due to a lack of resources.
There is no printing press in the country and newspapers are published in the form of photocopies. Paper, imported from Cameroon, is very expensive.
Eritrea
Prior to September 2001, eight independent newspapers published on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, with an estimated circulation of 45,000. After September 2001, the government took over control of all non-religious media, including a radio station, a TV station, one of only two newspaper printing presses in the country, and the news agency Erina. In short, the private-sector press no longer exists in Eritrea.
Ethiopia
In 2003, there were 81 newspapers, 22 magazines and 2 news agencies.
The majority of private papers as well as government papers were printed at government-owned presses. However, a few private papers started using smaller private printing presses, one of which was owned by the publisher of the Daily Monitor.
Newspapers critical of government leaders and their policies were available widely in the capital but scarce elsewhere.
Fiji
Under legislation obliging newspapers to register with the Government for a licence to publish, the Minister of Information has sole discretionary power to order a newspaper to publish a "correcting statement" if, in the Minister’s view, a false or distorted article was published.
The Gambia
The National Media Commission Bill, adopted in 2002, gives government authorities the power to license journalists, to deny the right to confidentiality of sources, to formulate a journalistic code of ethics, and to publish the media for non-compliance.
Georgia
In 2000, representatives of Russian financial capital actively began acquiring Georgian media holdings, as well as establishing new ones.
In 2003, there were approximately 200 independent newspapers in circulation. Few newspapers were editorially independent or commercially viable.
Ghana
Newspapers, radio and TV are mushrooming due to the new political dispensation. The government ended its subsidy of one newspaper in 2001 and no longer finances any newspaper.
Greenland
There are no daily newspapers in Greenland, but there is one bi-weekly newspapers, one weekly and a monthly newspaper.
Guatemala
With a population of 13 million, the top daily newspaper in Guatemala is Nuestro Diario, with a circulation of 179,000.
Guinea
Not only did the government suspend three newspapers - Croisade, Diplomate, and Defi - for unspecified reasons in December 2002, but the Guinean government has prohibited talk or chants in public that it considers seditious, has established defamation and slander as criminal offences, and prohibited communications that insulted the president.
Guinea-Bissau
In 2002, officials continued to use licensing and registration requirements as a pretext to harass media outlets and to threaten them with closure.
In June 2002, employees of the national printing press went on a 15-day strike, demanding 17 months of salary arrears and forcing all the country’s newspapers, which rely on the printing press, to cease publication.
Guyana
In May 2001, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds announced a law requiring broadcasters to apply for licences. These could only be issued on the condition of assurances that stations would not broadcast any program likely to offend the public, incite racial hatred or crime, or lead to public disorder.
Iran
More than 80% of the population watch TV. However, the government directly controlled and maintained a monopoly over all television and radio broadcasting facilities and programming reflected the government’s political and socio-religious ideology.
More than 80 publications have been shut down in the country since a crackdown on the independent press began in April 2000.
Iraq
Al-Hayat, the respected Arabic-language daily published in London, hit the streets of Baghdad in 2003, but at one dollar an issue it is a luxury item for most Iraqis. The new sports weekly Al-Ittihad Ar-Riyadhi arrived on Baghdad newsstands in May 2003.
More than 5,000 staff who used to run Iraqi media organisations, including state television and radio, were sacked in 2003 when the information ministry was abolished.
Jordan
The government is the sole broadcaster of radio and television programmes and must license all publications. Radio and television are however more restricted than the print media.
Jordan has 5 daily newspapers, four in Arabic and one in English, as well as 11 weekly newspapers. Unlike in other Arab countries, such as Egypt and Lebanon, no regional editions of non-Jordanian newspapers are published in Jordan.
Macedonia
German group WAZ is the new owner of three high-circulation newspapers: Dnevnik, Vest and Utrinski Vesnik. The government terminated state support for newspapers in 2004.
The number of non-dailies decreased from 33 in 2001 to 9 in 2003.
The top circulation newspaper in 2002, Dnevnik, a tabloid, was sold for 16 US cents.
Madagascar
There were more than 175 privately owned radio and television stations at the end of 2001; however, federal regulations restricted them from providing nationwide coverage.
There were 4 daily newspapers in 2002.
Malawi
With 24 daily newspapers in the country, the two best selling newspapers, the Nation and the Daily Times, are controlled by the ruling party and the main opposition party respectively.
Maldives
Most major media outlets were owned either by the government or its sympathizers. Almost 200 newspapers and periodicals were registered with the government, only some of which published on a regular basis.
Mozambique
Media ownership is diverse. UNESCO Media Project estimated that in 2002, 34% of the country’s media were public (government controlled), 36% were private commercial, and 28% were private nonprofit (church-affiliated).
In 2002, UNESCO expressed concern about the strong concentration of national and local media in Maupto city and province, mirroring lopsided socioeconomic development nationwide.
Nigeria
With a population of 56 million, the top circulation newspaper in 2001, The Punch, had a circulation of 100,000. Six newspapers had a circulation larger than 50,000 in 2001.
Advertising expenditure in newspapers grew from approximately US$3.3 million in 2000 to US$25,000,000 in 2001.
Oman
In 2001, the top advertising sector in Oman was ’road vehicules’, representing US$9 million, three times larger than the second category, ’financial services’, at US$3 million. For example, the top newspaper advertiser was Toyota with an expenditure of US$2,546,000, against the second highest, Daewoo, with an expenditure of US$810,000.
Palestinian Authority
The top two advertisers in 2001 were telecommunications companies, BellSouth and Cable & Wireless, representing an expenditure of US$1,633,000 and US$1,579,000 respectively.
In 2002, the Palestinian Journalist’s Union and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate imposed a ban on the use of photographs depicting armed children and masked men. The ban was extended to foreign journalists.
In 2002, the daily Al-Quds was required to submit its entire contents, including advertising, to the military censor by 4pm each day.
Paraguay
According to surveys by civil-society organizations, only about 8% of Paraguayans believe that the press is trustworthy. This public cynicism, combined with a recession, has drastically reduced circulation at most daily newspapers.
Following a law passed in July 2002, information about people’s wealth, solvency or credit ranking, cannot be divulged without their permission. The media regard the law as a ’self-defence law’ for politicians.
Puerto Rico
With a population of 3.6 million, the top selling newspaper in Puerto Rico, El Nuevo Dia, had a circulation of 205,000 in 2001.
’Services and Institutions’ was the main advertising sector in newspapers in 2001, with an expenditure of US$191 million.
Qatar
With a population of 793,000, there were nearly twice as many men in the country as women in 2000 (521,000 versus 272,000 respectively). In the same year, the top 3 advertising sectors in newspapers were ’passanger cars’, ’watches’ and ’road vehicule range’. The main advertiser, Nissan, had a newspaper advertising expenditure of US$1.2 million.
Rwanda
With no daily newspaper published in Rwanda in 2002, apart from the government press, Imwaho and La Releve, there are fewer than ten privately-owned weekly newspapers for a national population of 7.8 million people.
The government influences the press mainly through the purchase of advertising space, which many private publications are financially dependent on.
San Marino
With a population of 28,000 people, there are 3 daily newspapers published in San Marino. The government, some political parties, and trade unions all publish newspapers. Italian and foreign newspapers are widely available.
Saudi Arabia
With a population of 23.5 million people, only one newspaper (Ashraq Al Awsat) in 2001 had a circulation figure above 200,000. In the same year, the next five best performing newspapers had circulation figures of between 85,000 and 125,000.
In 2001, government advertising represented the third largest sector of advertising expenditure in newspapers, worth a total of US$25 million, only slightly behind ’retail’ as the first sector of expenditure at US$31 million.
Overall advertising expenditure in newspapers grew from US$276 million in 2000 to US$370 million in 2003, with an estimated growth to US$427 million in 2006.
Senegal
Due to high single-copy prices (roughly equivalent to the price of a kilogramme of rice), many consumers perceive newspapers to be a luxury good and opt instead to buy necessities. In 1999, an estimated 60% of Dakar’s readers were borrowing the newspapers they read, rather than purchasing them.
Seychelles
In 2002, the licence fees for a private radio or television station were US$151,200 per year, while newspaper publishing licences were US$760, plus a bank guarantee of US$19,000. High licensing fees have discouraged the development of privately owned broadcast media.
Sierra Leone
Designated the world’s poorest country, all newspapers are published in English; the Cri language is largely unwritten, which further limits sales in a nation which is 85% illiterate. Many newspapers are funded by political groups.
However, since 1997 the number of newspapers has mushroomed from 12 to more than 50. Largely independent of the government, with several newspapers associated with opposition political parties, many newspapers contained sensational, undocumented stories and repeated items carried by other newspapers. The number of newspapers published fluctuated weekly in 2002.
Sudan
Radio and television were controlled directly by the government and were required to reflect government policies. During 2002 there was a marked expansion of government-controlled regional radio and television. Television had a permanent military censor to ensure that the news reflected official views.
Turkmenistan
The oil and natural gas-rich country has no private media; the government has an absolute monopoly. The authorities monitor media outlets, private printing presses and lay down editorial policies.
Foreign newspapers are not easily obtainable. In April 2002, Turkmen officials seized two issues of the Moscow-based daily Komsomolskaya Pravda containing critical articles about Turkmenistan.
In August 2002, the government imposed a new rule requiring the registration of all photocopiers and that a single individual be responsible for all photocopying activity.
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