An MJRC research project
StateMediaMonitor.
Understanding who funds, governs and shapes state and public media.
Global research on editorial independence, government influence and the conditions that enable media to serve the public.
Explore the dedicated project website
Media profiles & global list
Find media operators by region and country, and explore the evidence behind their classifications.
Browse the directory On statemediamonitor.com (opens in a new tab)Yearly global analyses
Read the annual studies and findings on changes in state and public media around the world.
Explore annual findings On statemediamonitor.com (opens in a new tab)Regional analyses
Examine regional patterns of government influence, media capture and editorial independence.
Read regional overviews On statemediamonitor.com (opens in a new tab)About the project
Follow the evidence behind editorial independence.
State Media Monitor is a project of the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC). It examines how state and public media are financed, who controls their ownership and governing bodies, and how freely their journalists can make editorial decisions.
The research uses the State Media Matrix to distinguish between different forms of state control, media capture and editorial autonomy. Examining these relationships together provides a fuller understanding of each outlet’s independence and the pressures it faces.
The project draws on the State Media Database, whose collection began in 2004 under Marius Dragomir. Its evidence base has developed through international research including Television Across Europe, Mapping Digital Media and the Media Influence Matrix, supported by specialist researchers and partner organisations.
The analytical framework
The State Media Matrix
Funding, ownership and editorial practice can pull in different directions. The Matrix examines each of these dimensions to understand how a media outlet operates and where government influence enters the picture.
Funding
Who pays?
Where revenue comes from, the role of state subsidies and advertising, and how financial arrangements affect the outlet’s independence.
Ownership & governance
Who appoints?
Who owns the organisation, appoints its leadership and supervisory bodies, and exercises influence over its management.
Editorial autonomy
Who decides?
Whether journalists can choose and report stories independently, and whether protections against interference work in practice.
Open a model below to see how these dimensions combine. Some state-funded or state-managed outlets retain editorial autonomy; private ownership can also coexist with government control of coverage.
Controlled or captured
SCState-controlled media
State authorities control financing, governing structures and the editorial agenda. News coverage follows a line imposed or approved by those authorities.
- Funding
- Dependent on state funding
- Ownership / governance
- Controlled by the state
- Editorial decisions
- Controlled by the state
CaPuCaptured public or state-managed media
The state controls ownership or governance and influences editorial coverage, while the outlet is not predominantly financed through direct state funding.
- Funding
- Not predominantly state-funded
- Ownership / governance
- Controlled by the state
- Editorial decisions
- Controlled by the state
CaPrCaptured private media
Private ownership coexists with persistent editorial control by state-linked actors. Capture can operate through affiliated businesses, financial relationships or other intermediaries.
- Funding
- May include state financial support
- Ownership / governance
- No formal state ownership or state-appointed board
- Editorial decisions
- Controlled by state-linked actors
Editorially independent
ISFMIndependent state-funded and state-managed media
The state provides most funding and owns or governs the outlet. Effective safeguards or practices nevertheless preserve the newsroom’s freedom to make editorial decisions.
- Funding
- Predominantly state-funded
- Ownership / governance
- Owned or governed by the state
- Editorial decisions
- Editorially autonomous
ISFIndependent state-funded media
State financing is the main source of income, while governing bodies and the newsroom operate independently of government influence.
- Funding
- Predominantly state-funded
- Ownership / governance
- Independent of government influence
- Editorial decisions
- Editorially autonomous
ISMIndependent state-managed media
The outlet is state-owned or governed, but is not predominantly dependent on state financing and retains editorial autonomy.
- Funding
- Not predominantly state-funded
- Ownership / governance
- Owned or governed by the state
- Editorial decisions
- Editorially autonomous
IPIndependent public media
Public-interest media whose funding and governance arrangements protect them from government interference, supported by effective editorial safeguards and accountability mechanisms.
- Funding
- Designed to protect independence
- Ownership / governance
- Protected from government interference
- Editorial decisions
- Editorially autonomous
How the research works
Evidence behind every classification.
The methodology brings together financial records, governance arrangements and evidence of editorial practice. Researchers analyse this material against the State Media Matrix, with ongoing regional monitoring informing updates.
Read the full methodology (opens in a new tab)Funding and governance evidence
Researchers establish where an outlet’s money comes from and how its ownership, appointments and management work. Sources are organised into tiers:
- Official records
- Annual reports and legal acts establishing funding and governance arrangements.
- Published reporting and research
- Media coverage, NGO reports and academic studies.
- Interviews and investigations
- Expert knowledge, sources within media organisations and investigative reporting.
Assessing editorial control
Evidence includes the outlet’s legal mission and statutes, official statements, published research, reporting and interviews. Content analysis is used in selected contexts.
Researchers examine whether editorial safeguards are effective in practice, including oversight and accountability arrangements. Formal guarantees are assessed alongside evidence of actual interference or autonomy.
What counts as a media outlet?
The unit of analysis is the media operator or organisation. An operator may provide television, radio, print and online services through multiple channels and brands.
Separate operators are treated as distinct entities. Where a single government body runs several services, they are generally counted together. Relevant ownership portfolios and acquisitions are explained in the analysis.
Monitoring change over time
The database is maintained through continuing research and regional updates. Political, financial or organisational changes can alter an outlet’s classification between study editions.
These changes cannot always be captured immediately. Read a profile’s update information and supporting sources when using a classification, and use the dedicated project website for the most recent available research.
Publications & findings
A global record of change.
Explore the annual research on state and public media, from the introduction of the Matrix to subsequent studies of editorial independence, government influence and media capture.
Independence Under Siege
The State Media Monitor 2025 Global Study
An examination of the pressures on editorial independence in state and public media, tracing changes in government control, the growth of captured media and the fragility of safeguards across regions.
Key Findings of State Media Monitor 2024
An overview of government influence, editorial independence and changes in the classification of state and public media. This edition was published as an online overview of global findings.
From Puppet to Powerhouse
A Global Study of the Independence of State and Public Media
A global assessment of editorial autonomy, examining government control, media capture and the conditions that allow public-interest journalism to remain independent.
The State of State Media
A Global Analysis of the Editorial Independence of State Media Based on the State Media Matrix (2022 edition)
The follow-up global study applies the Matrix to examine changes in editorial independence and the different forms of state control and capture.
The State of State Media
A Global Analysis of the Editorial Independence of State Media and an Introduction of a New State Media Typology
The founding study introduces the State Media Matrix and its approach to assessing state and public media through funding, governance and editorial autonomy.
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