Central African Republic
According to the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), in 2023, the Central African Republic (CAR), a presidential republic in Central Africa, ranked 98 out of 180 countries in terms of media freedom. The situation hasn’t changed much from 2022, when the country ranked 101.
The WFPI was created by the international non-governmental organization (NGO) Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which aims to advocate for media freedom and to protect journalists. The index ranks press freedom in 180 countries annually by comparing their political context, legal framework, sociocultural context, economic context, and safety. The comparison is done after analysis of experts’ responses to a questionnaire regarding the five indicators.
CAR is a presidential republic that used to be a French colony. According to BBC, its state has been quite unstable after its independence from France. The website of Freedom House, which is an American NGO that publishes research regarding the democratic state of countries, reports that the status of CAR in 2023 is not free. The Freedom House determines the status of 210 countries as free, partly free, or not free by comparing their political rights and civil liberties.
According to the country profile created by BBC, the president of CAR is Faustin-Archange Toaudera, who was re-elected in 2020. In 2023, a reform removed the limits on the number of re-elections, leading to resentment by opposition groups. They assumed that the reform would give unlimited power to the current president.
The primary source of information for citizens is radio. According to BBC, there are privately owned newspapers, but they can hardly be found in rural areas. One of the radios is Radio Centrafique. According to the State Media Monitor website, the government funds it, and decisions depend highly on the Ministry of Communication and Media. The State Media Monitor develops profiles of state media around the globe. More than 600 researchers participated in the creation of the database.
The Freedom House reports that the government doesn’t protect independent journalism. According to the International Crisis Group website, a disinformation increase was detected after CAR and Russia established a good connection due to Russia’s military support in 2020. The website aims to prevent world conflicts through detailed research and communication with policymakers.
“There is little support for independent journalism, and media outlets are increasingly aligned with national politicians and foreign governments — especially Russia,” reports BBC, citing the Freedom House.
No journalists have been killed or detained in CAR since the beginning of 2023, according to the website of RSF. However, the NGO reports that three journalists were arrested in 2022 because they opposed the government’s decisions.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Jean Saint-Clair, a director of a fact-checking news website, might have been poisoned by a Russian representative from the Wagner group, a Russian private military company. CPJ is an NGO which aims to protect press freedom around the globe.
“Reporters are often subjected to pressure, threats, violence or cyberharassment. Murders of journalists go completely unpunished,” reports RSF on their website.
Due to the attacks on journalists, in 2022, the government proposed a law criminalizing press offenses. Through that directive, the government ensured a more significant influence on the media, according to RSF.
The RSF states that “state-owned media remain influential and are under government control.”
###
Ivet Peeva is a student double-majoring in Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Bulgaria. She is interested in the state of media around the globe, and this is her first time researching more about the Central African Republic.
