Africa

Equatorial Guinea

{This graph represents scores that have been modified by CIMA so that higher scores indicate a better media situation. It is intended to show trends over time; each index measures significantly different factors of press freedom. To see an explanation for how this graph was created, click here.}

IREX Score: 0.87	[IREX Methodology]
{Higher is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 4.00}

IREX Description:

Despite the oil wealth, Equatorial Guinea is a closed country with an extremely poor population, and the corruption rate is said to be among the highest on the continent (Transparency International ranked it 168 out of 180 countries worldwide in 2009). Often criticized for human-rights violations, the government displays little tolerance for the barely breathing political opposition.

This is the third consecutive year that the MSI was not able to convene an expert panel in Malabo to research the media sustainability in Equatorial Guinea. This is not only due to the journalists' reluctance to participate in a public meeting that could be "frowned upon," but because the authorities in this closed country have forbidden any kind of meeting—of political parties, or of civil society, or especially journalists—without obtaining the authorization of the Minister of Information and going through a bureaucratic procedure. In the face of this difficulty, only about 10 journalists accepted to complete, individually and discreetly, the IREX questionnaire.

Africa

Equatorial Guinea

Country Profiles: Africa

All Country Profiles

Freedom House Score: 90 (Not Free)	[Freedom House Methodology]
{Lower is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 100}