There are no current independent mass media in
Eritrea. All media outlets in Eritrea are from the
Ministry of Information, a government source.
Western media was brought to the country during Italian and British colonialism. The media is Eritrea played a role in its war against Ethiopia. Independent Eritrea has one of the harshest media regimes, with private and foreign ownership being banned since the early 2000s. As of 2018, the government controlled four newspapers, one television channel and two radio stations. International organizations such as
Reporters Without Borders and
Freedom House have consistently labelled the media in Eritrea as "not free", ranking it as the lowest or one of the lowest countries in
press freedom indices. Access to the internet is very limited.
History
Italian and British colonialism brought western journalism to the region. It then fell into the hands of the Ethiopian rulers. During
Eritrea's independence movement, media such as radio ''
Dmtsi Hafash'' (), first broadcast in early 1979 from Fah and Sahel, played a revolutionary role. ''Dmtsi Hafash'' continues to broadcast till date.
In 1996, the Eritrean government passed a law banning private broadcast media and requiring licenses for journalists and newspapers. The law barred the reprinting of works from banned publications, outlawed foreign ownership of media, and required all publications to be submitted to the government for approval prior to publication. In 2001, in an effort to quell burgeoning dissent about the future of the
People's Front for Democracy and Justice
The People's Front for Democracy and Justice ( ti, ህዝባዊ ግንባር ንደሞክራስን ፍትሕን, PFDJ) is the founding, ruling, and sole legal political party of the State of Eritrea. The successor to the left-wing nationalist ...
, the government closed down eight independent newspapers and arrested an undisclosed number of journalists.
Onwards from 18 September 2001, the government banned all private media.
The newspapers affected included ''Meqaleh'', ''Setit'', ''Tiganay'', ''Zemen'', ''Wintana'', ''Admas'', ''Keste Debena'', and ''Mana''.
Official reasons for the ban included national security, and failure to comply with media laws and regulations.
2001 also saw an unknown number of journalists being detained, some who are still thought to be imprisoned. Even before the arrests, journalists were facing
conscription, which
HRW
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ri ...
explained as an attempt to clamp down on the media.
Print
There are two daily print newspapers:
* ''Al-Hadisa'' (Arabic language)
* ''Haddas Eritrea'' (Tigrinya language)
There are also two other papers:
* ''Eritrea Profile'', twice weekly (Wednesday & Saturday) (English language)
* ''Eritrea Haddas'', weekly (Wednesday) (Tigre language)
A defunct newspaper:
* ''
Nay Eretra Sämunawi Gazét'a'' (1942–1953)
Radio
There are three radio stations in Eritrea. Radio Bana is an educational radio broadcast in five languages. Radio Zara is available only in Tigrinya, while Dimtsi Hafash is available in nine languages:
Afar,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
,
Beja,
Blin,
Kunama,
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
,
Saho,
Tigre,
Tigrinya
(; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.
History and literatur ...
.
Dimtsi Hafash and Radio Zara are available via satellite dish.
Radio Erena is a Paris-based radio station that broadcasts news in Eritrea.
Television
There are two television stations in the country, with a third having been announced in 2006.
Eri-TV1, more commonly known as
Eri-TV
Eri-TV (acronym for Eritrean Television) is an Eritrean state-owned television network. Headquartered in the nation's capital Asmara, it broadcasts 24 hours a day. The station offers around-the-clock news bulletins, talk shows, and propaganda p ...
, is available globally through satellite while Eri-TV2 is only available in Eritrea; both are operated by the Ministry of Information from Asmara. Eri-TV has fully featured programming in four languages: Arabic,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, Tigre, Tigrinya; as well as some programming in other languages including
Amharic,
Oromo and
Somali.
Eri-TV is available within Eritrea and abroad via satellite dish 24 hours a day. Many of the television owners in Eritrea use satellite dishes.
Diaspora online media
Online media of the Eritrean diaspora play a major role in Eritrean politics according to researcher Victoria Bernal.
* ''
Dehai'', created in 1992, tending to be pro-government
* ''
Asmarino
''Asmarino'' or ''Asmarino Independent Media'' is an Eritrean diaspora news website created in 1997.
Creation
''Asmarino'' was created in 1997 by Tesfaledet, an Eritrean refugee living in the United States
The United States of America (U. ...
'', created in 1997, tending to be anti-government
* ''
Awate ''Awate'' or awate.com is a United States based Eritrean news website.
Creation
''Awate'' was created by Saleh Gadi as an Eritrean news website, in September 2000, several years after the 1997 creation of ''Asmarino'', another Eritrean diaspora new ...
'', created following the
Eritrean–Ethiopian War
The Eritrean–Ethiopian War, also known as the Badme War, was a major armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea that took place from May 1998 to June 2000. The war has its origins in a territorial dispute between the two states. After Erit ...
, tending to be anti-government
See also
*
Communications in Eritrea
*
Human rights in Eritrea
Human rights in Eritrea are viewed, as of the 2020s, by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Human Rights Watch as among the worst in the world, particularly with regards to freedom of the press. Eritrea is a one-party state in which nat ...
*
Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu
References
;Bibliography
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Media Of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea