India in Media Influence Matrix It took the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), a key player in India’s media policy, two years and seven months to release public data that had been officially requested in 2015 by TheHoot.org, a website mapping media ownership in India. The ministry said that such data couldn’t be released…
Georgia in Media Influence Matrix Georgia has a liberal and progressive legal framework governing its media. The Constitution protects media freedom and access to public information is guaranteed. However, that is only the surface. The news media in Georgia operates in a highly polarized and politicized environment with regulators under the government’s thumb, the market…
Slovakia in Media Influence Matrix Slovaks have access to a plethora of news platforms, but many of them are in the hands of powerful financial corporations, closely linked with political groups. Powerful financial groups such as Penta Investments and J&T, and a handful of magnates including Ivan Kmotrik and Andrej Babis (who is also Czech…
Romania in Media Influence Matrix Romania’s media market seems vibrant and diverse, but in reality, the local environment hardly enables independent journalism to thrive. Independent journalism survives thanks to a string of small online outlets that are struggling financially and grappling with a low level of trust and a public unwilling to pay for media…
Pakistan in Media Influence Matrix Last year, Facebook didn’t need much convincing that a post critical of Pakistan’s government had to be taken down. At the request of PTA, Pakistan’s telecom watchdog, the social media platform scrapped a link to a story published by Dawn, the country’s leading newspaper, in which a politician, Javed Hashmi, criticized…
Kyrgyzstan in Media Influence Matrix When Almazbek Atambaev was president of Kyrgyzstan, journalists didn’t have a whale of a time. The country’s head often harassed media outlets by threatening them with lawsuits and financial audits. Fearing reprisals, many journalists routinely self-censored. Things are much improved after Sooronbay Jeenbekov won the presidential elections in 2017. Pressures…
Kazakhstan in Media Influence Matrix When Vlast.kz, a Russian-language news portal, launched operations in 2012, its founders pinned their hopes on readers to finance them. But not many people thronged to buy a subscription, prompting the portal to swiftly knock down its paywall and let readers binge on its content. Nobody else has since tested…
Jordan in Media Influence Matrix The General Intelligence Directorate (GID), Jordan’s powerful secret service, has often been praised for its professionalism. Credited with foiling a number of terrorist attacks both in Jordan and abroad, it is one of the most effective intelligence agencies in the Middle East. But GID’s powers extend far beyond security, making…
Indonesia in Media Influence Matrix Tempted with ever cheaper deals, many Indonesians use more than one mobile card, resulting in 400 million cellular subscriptions, which makes Indonesia one of the largest mobile markets of the world. In contrast, less than 4% of Indonesians use a landline today. The number of internet users has also increased…
Czech Republic in Media Influence Matrix During the past decade, the Czech media market has undergone major shifts that have radically changed the country’s journalism. Much of that was caused by technology. But changes in the country’s media ownership played an equally big role. It all started in 2008 with Zdenek Bakala, a coal magnate,…