FOTP 2013 Full Report

Scandinavian business interests taking a sizable share, particularly in the television sector. TheEstonian-language print media landscape includes four national dailies as well as regional,municipal, and weekly papers. For the country’s sizable Russian-speaking population, there aretelevision and radio programs in Russian (including on ERR), Russian-language newspapers, andaccess to broadcast and print media from Russia. As a result of the country’s 2009 economiccrisis, a number of print outlets ceased publishing, or cut staff and salaries and reduced theiroutput. The recession also led to significant declines in the advertising market. However, thecountry recovered quickly, and the decline in advertising revenues has since slowed or reversed,particularly in the internet sector.Estonia remains among the leading countries in the world regarding internet penetration,with approximately 79 percent of the population active online in 2012. Several newspapers havegone online in the past few years, and online-only news portals have an extensive readership.EthiopiaStatus: Not FreeLegal Environment: 28Political Environment: 35Economic Environment: 19Total Score: 82Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 76,NF 76,NF 78,NF 78,NF 81,NFDespite the death in August of longtime prime minister Meles Zenawi, the political and mediaenvironment in Ethiopia remained highly repressive in 2012. The new prime minister,Hailemariam Desalegn, appeared set to continue many of his predecessor’s policies. Thegovernment continued making extensive use of a 2009 antiterrorism law to stifle dissent duringthe year. It also stepped up control of the internet, passing a new telecommunications law,launching initiatives to hamper online debate, and blocking access to critical websites. Accordingto the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Ethiopia was the second-leading jailer ofjournalists in Africa in 2012, after Eritrea.While the constitution guarantees freedom of the press, the 2005 criminal code containsmany provisions that limit this right, including restrictions on “obscene” communication,criminal defamation, and criticism of public officials. In August 2012, the government filedcriminal charges of defamation and “inciting the public through false rumors” against TemesgenDesalegn, editor in chief of the independent weekly Feteh, who had written articles thatcriticized Meles’s rule. Although the charges were later dropped, Feteh was unable to continuepublishing due to government pressure.Private media and press freedom groups criticized the 2008 Freedom of the Mass Mediaand Access to Information Proclamation for imposing restrictions on the practice of journalismand harsh sanctions for violations. In 2012, the parliament expanded on the theme of the 2009antiterrorism law by passing the Telecom Fraud Offences Proclamation, which prescribessignificant fines and up to eight years in prison for those convicted of using thetelecommunications network to disseminate a “terrorizing message.” The law also appears to163