FOTP 2013 Full Report

subsequently threatened by the mayor and his family; one reporter was assaulted, with noresulting arrests.The state-run Chad Press Agency is country’s only news agency, and the governmentsubsidizes the only daily newspaper, Le Progès, in exchange for its support. While privatenewspapers circulate freely in the capital, they have little impact on the largely rural and illiteratepopulation. Some newspapers use printing facilities outside the country for financial reasons, anddistribution is difficult due to poor infrastructure. The only television station is state owned, butthe government does not interfere with the reception of foreign channels. Radio is the primarymeans of mass communication, and there are over a dozen private and community-run stationson the air, many of which are owned by religious organizations. Internews recently built threecommunity radio stations in the east of the country, which has been flooded by refugees fromSudan’s Darfur region and displaced Chadians, in order to address topics such as gender-basedviolence, security, water distribution, and food rations. Ownership of community radio outletswas under threat in 2012. In March, presidential decree No. 410 ordered the transfer of threecommunity stations to the state-owned broadcaster ONRTV. Advertising is scarce, but it is themain source of revenue for media outlets, as government subsidies and other alternatives areeven less reliable. In 2012, just 2 percent of Chadians accessed the internet. There are no reportsthat the government restricts access, but the internet infrastructure remains government owned.ChileStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 8Political Environment: 14Economic Environment: 9Total Score: 31Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 30,F 29,F 30,F 29,F 31,PFFreedoms of speech and of the press are guaranteed in Chile’s constitution. However, criminaldefamation and desacato (insult) laws have been used to silence journalists sporadically since thecountry’s return to democracy, often leading to public outcry and, in some cases, the abrogationof laws. In addition, Chile has a number of latent structural, legal, and public security policyweaknesses that can result in press restrictions. These conditions result from incomplete medialaw reforms after the Pinochet dictatorship (1973–90). In January 2012, a legal provisionproposed by Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter that would have empowered the police todemand video and other electronic media from journalists was withdrawn following publicobjections and protests in Santiago. Chile enacted a freedom of information law in 2008, andadvocates consider its implementation generally satisfactory.Amendments in 2010 to a 1994 community radio law allowed community broadcasters toincrease their minimal signal strength and carry advertising from companies not physicallypresent in the areas they cover. The law also created a path to licensing for noncommercialstations linked to community organizations. However, President Sebastián Piñera, a conservativebusinessman and former television network owner, has not promulgated the law, generating legal118