Enabling Environment for Social Accountability in ... - SASANet

Annex 5. Mongolian Media: Overview of Constraints and
Opportunities for Social Accountability 86
The Mongolian media sector is characterized by lively, if sometimes not very professional, reporting from
outlets that represent the full range of political viewpoints, although few outlets are politically neutral. In
many respects, the challenges facing the Mongolian media are similar to those facing the media in other
countries emerging from the oppression that characterized the period of socialist rule, although progress
toward a free and responsible media has been hampered by Mongolia’s relative poverty.
The media play a key role in giving voice to the views and demands of citizens, as well as providing
information to both ordinary citizens and decision makers. A free and effective media acts as a two-way
conduit for communication between government and the citizenry. As such, the media play a crucial role
in facilitating civic engagement for social accountability.
This study provides an overview of the media sector and the various constraints and opportunities for
media in Mongolia. In addition to legal constraints on the media, the study outlines some of the informal
and internal challenges that the media confront. In this manner, the study provides a framework to
identify priorities for reform that can promote an environment in which the media maximizes its role in
facilitating social accountability.
MEDIA OVERVIEW
A survey by the Press Institute in 2004 found that there were six dailies, 25 weeklies, and numerous less
frequent newspapers, along with 69 magazines, 43 radio stations, 36 television stations, and 13 cable
operators (Press Institute 2005a).
All six dailies are alleged to have political biases. The allegations were confirmed by media monitoring of
the 2005 presidential election campaign by Globe International, a prominent NGO based in Ulaanbaatar
that works on media-related issues (Globe International 2005a and 2005b). All of the daily newspapers
are privately owned, with daily circulations ranging from just under 3,000 to almost 12,500 copies in
2004.
There is only one national radio broadcaster, the state-owned, Mongolian Radio. Of the 15 Ulaanbaatarbased
stations, 12 were privately owned and three were state broadcasters. In contrast, the state owns the
largest share of the province-based stations (10 out of 25), followed by NGOs, which own eight, mostly
community radio stations. Another five are privately owned and two are classified as other. 87 The 2005
Globe International project only monitored the national radio, which was found to be relatively
nonpartisan in its coverage of the presidential candidates.
There is only one national television station, the state-owned Mongolian TV. There are five television
stations operating in Ulaanbaatar, although four more have recently been licensed, 88 bringing the total to
86 This note was primarily researched and written by Toby Mendel, Law Program Director, Article 19.
87 Figures for provincially based stations come from the Press Institute survey for 2003 (Press Institute 2004a). In a more recent
report (Press Institute 2005a), the Press Institute indicates that there are now 27 province-based stations, but it does not separate
them into different categories.
88 Two were due to start in August 2005, and the other two must start operating by April 2006, or lose their licenses.
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