Ladder: funding and ownership pressure, in Africa

A government uses money, or its power over owners, instead of acting against reporters directly. Examples are cutting the funds of public broadcasters, forcing the sale of an outlet, steering state advertising away from some publications, and using licence reviews or merger approvals to press an outlet's owners.

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

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ContinentAnyAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth AmericaOceaniaAntarctica

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1. Restrict
2. Pressure
3. Punish
4. Silence
5. Eliminate

2Pressure

Using state power short of prosecution to change coverage: regulatory threats, licence reviews, funding cuts, lawsuits by officials, official "fake news" or "foreign agent" labels, advertising pressure, tax audits.

TZTanzaniaRSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180

16 March 2018John Magufuli

Tanzania's government, under President John Magufuli, issued regulations requiring anyone running a blog or website with user content to register with the telecoms regulator and pay an annual fee reported at roughly $930, with vaguely worded content bans.

Unknown 12 April 2018 · 2 sources · Full entry

4Silence

Removing outlets or channels from the public sphere: closures, licence withdrawals, forced sales, blocking and shutdowns, prior restraint, nationalisation.

EGEgyptRSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180

24 May 1960Gamal Abdel Nasser

President Gamal Abdel Nasser's government issued a decree on May 24, 1960 placing every newspaper and magazine in Egypt under state ownership and management, with the government appointing editors and deciding content, ending private control of the country's press.

Ongoing 1 January 1989 · 2 sources · Full entry

All ladders · Funding and ownership pressure: by country and year · The United States chapter