FOTP 2013 Full Report

The active independent media sector is free to convey a variety of opinions, with at leastfive daily and two weekly newspapers publishing in both Maltese and English. Political parties,private businesses, and the Catholic Church all have direct investments in broadcasting and printmedia, and these outlets openly express partisan views. The only national television broadcasteris PBS’s TVM, though the country also has access to Italian television, which many Maltesewatch. The internet was regularly accessed by 70 percent of the population in 2012.Marshall IslandsStatus: FreeLegal Environment: 2Political Environment: 6Economic Environment: 9Total Score: 17Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 17,F 17,F 17,F 17,F 17,FMauritaniaStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 14Political Environment: 17Economic Environment: 16Total Score: 47Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 56,PF 58,PF 56,PF 53,PF 52,PFMauritania’s media environment continued to open in 2012, despite a history of dictatorship andthe 2008 ouster of the first democratically elected president by an army general, MohammedOuld Abdel Aziz. Abdel Aziz subsequently contested and won elections held in 2009. Sincethen, his administration has passed a number of reforms to improve media freedom in thecountry.Article 10 of the 1991 constitution guarantees freedom of opinion, of thought, and ofexpression. Legal and regulatory reforms enacted in 2006 eliminated prepublication governmentapproval for newspapers, established journalists’ legal right to protect sources, and created theHigh Authority for the Press and Audiovisual Sector (HAPA). The authority’s board membersare appointed in consultation with media associations and journalist groups, a departure from theprevious practice of presidential appointments. In addition to its regulatory role, HAPA isresponsible for nominating the heads of public media outlets and the Mauritanian News Agency.The appointment of Salka Mint Sneid, the president of the association of women journalists, aschair of an advisory board created by HAPA in September 2012 reflected the increasing presenceof practicing female journalists. In 2011, the parliament had approved amendments to the 2006265