The mass media in Mongolia refers to the print, broadcast and online media in Mongolia. Since the collapse of the Soviet style system in 1990, the media has undergone large reforms which have allowed greater diversity and

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

which make it one of the most free in the region. Censorship of media outlets is forbidden under the 1998 Media Freedom Law. In its 2013 report,

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...

classified the media environment as 98th out of 179, with 1st being most free. Despite a population of just three million people, there are 555 media outlets in Mongolia and nearly 5,000 journalists nationwide.

The press

History

1920–1990s

Mongolian press began in 1920 with close ties to the Soviet Union under the Mongolian Communist Party, with the ''Unen'' (''Truth'') newspaper similar to the Soviet '' Pravda'' and ''Dzaluuchuudyn Unen'' (''Young People's Truth''), founded by the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Youth League in 1924; and ''Ulaan Od'' (''Red Star'') founded by the Ministries of Defense and Public Security following respectively in 1930.Mongolia media
''Press reference''. Until reforms in the 1990s, the government had strict control of the media and oversaw all publishing, in which no independent media was allowed. For 70 years, the sole source of information for the population was the state-run

Mongolian National Broadcaster The Mongolian National Broadcaster (MNB; ; ; shortened as ''МҮОНRТ'') is the official, state-funded broadcaster in Mongolia. About Mongolian National Public Radio and Television (MNB) is the oldest broadcasting organization in Mongolia as we ...

.Banerjee, I. & Logan, S. ''Asian Communication Handbook 2008.'' AMIC, 2008. . The

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

had a significant impact on Mongolia, where the one-party state grew into a multi-party democracy, and with that, media freedoms came to the forefront.

1990s–present

A new law on press freedom, drafted with help from international NGOs on August 28, 1998 and enacted on January 1, 1999, paved the way for media reforms.Bruun, O. & Odgaard, O. ''Mongolia in Transition: Old Patterns, New Challenges.'' Routledge, 1996. . The Mongolian media currently consists of around 300 print and broadcasting outlets.Country Profile: Mongolia
'' BBC''. The press, in all forms, carries criticism of the government and "heavy-handed" police tactics during demonstrations, though journalists remain at risk of laws criminalising

defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

and reporting on "state secrets".Mongolia - Annual report 2007
, ''Reporters Without Borders''. Despite laws against censorship, a small number of outlets were censored that reported on corruption of government officials, which have often led the opposition to accuse the governing Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party of using the media to ensure its success in elections. The government encourages press freedom; head of government Miyegombo Enkhbold spoke of “journalists who fight social injustice and work hard to develop a free press”. To avoid

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

offenses, the independent media undergo a degree of

self-censorship Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own discourse. This is done out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities or preferences (actual or perceived) of others and without overt pressure from any specific party or insti ...

. Globe International, an independent media watchdog, was set up in 1999 in the capital which aims to protect media freedom and expression. Since 2006, the media environment has been improving with the government having passed a new Freedom of Information Act, and the removal of any affiliation of media outlets with the government. Market reforms have led to an increasing number of people working in the media year on year, along with students at journalism schools. Though reforms are continuing, the legal system offers little protection for journalists who criticise government officials. The Globe International organisation conducted a study between 2001 and 2005 which found that 60% of legal cases were lost by the media, with 10% winning and 32% settling the case.Mongolia Press Freedom
, ''

Freedom House Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wil ...

''. The Press Institute of Mongolia conducts and publishes the "Monitoring Mongolian Media" survey, outlining the current status of the media.

Newspapers

The oldest newspaper is ''Unen'', meaning truth, founded in 1920 and has around 200,000 subscribers, making it one of the most read daily newspapers.Pang, G. ''Mongolia.'' Marshall Cavendish, 1999. . The ''Mongol Messenger'', published by the state-run ''

Montsame Montsame ( mn, МОНЦАМЭ) is the official state owned news agency of Mongolia. Montsame is an acronym for ''Mongolyn Tsakhilgaan Medee'' mn, Монголын Цахилгаан Мэдээ, or ''Mongolian Electronic News''. It was founded in 1 ...

'', is favoured by government officials and circulated in government offices and overseas embassies, whereas private publications are widely read by expatriates and English speaking Mongolians and Western businesses. Papers and journals are also produced by political parties, the army, trade unions and by artistic, cultural, scientific and literary organisations. Given the high level of literacy rates in the country (97.8% according to 2000 censusMongolia Communications
''

CIA World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print version is available ...

''.), newspaper and journal circulation is often small, though it is increasing. The population's preference to newspapers is among the highest in the world, with 68% preferring newspapers to other forms of media. As with state run television and radio, state owned papers have become privatised. Two state-owned leading dailies, ''Ardiin Erkh'' and ''Zasgiin Gazariin'', were sold to the public in 1999 as part of the 1998 law.

Television and radio

Under a law passed in 2005, prominent Mongolian state-run radio and television became a public service broadcaster. Radio remains the most important medium, particularly for dispersed herdsman in the countryside. There are a large number of radio stations, both national and foreign, mainly based in Ulaanbaatar. Around 115 FM and 7 AM stations were on air in 2006, including the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...

, Voice of America and other foreign stations. Radio broadcasts are in Mongolian, Russian and English. Independent television has had a smaller impact compared to the former state run channel due to financial limitations, though private radio has had more success in the countryside which was once dominated by state radio. Satellite television is also growing in popularity, with 15 cable operators and up to 90 cable channels, including CNN, BBC,

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...

and news programmes from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Russia, India,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, South Korea and many European countries. According to 2014 Asian Development Bank survey, 80% of Mongolians cited TV as their main source of information.

Internet

The Internet, established in 1995 in Mongolia, is not restricted by the government, but has yet to make a significant impact, with only 16% of the population having access to it as of 2012. In 2012 there were around 521,520 users"Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012"
International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013 and 20,084 Internet hosts. There has been steady online growth in online newspapers, magazines and advertising. For example, the first ever Mongolia Weekly newsletter brings exclusive analysis and news in English.