Timor-Leste
In 2023 Timor-Leste ranked tenth in the world for press freedom, according to the World Press Freedom Index, annually compiled by the international non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Last year, the small country in Southeast Asia was 17 in the ranking among 180 countries evaluated. Currently, the country is among the most favorable media environments in the world, experiencing growth and change.
Timor-Leste’s media is one of the freest in the region based on RSF statistics. Freedom of press and expression are protected under Articles 40 and 41 of the constitution. The law requires the media’s ownership to be transparent. The Press Council and the country’s journalist association maintain an independent fact-checking body for media self-regulation, supported by the United Nations Development Programme.
According to Asia Pacific Report news, Timor-Leste has the role of a regional media center, hosting the annual assembly of Southeast Asian and Pacific press councils. Bob Howarth, the founder of the Timorese Journalists Association, said that after a 25-year occupation by Indonesia, Timor-Leste has successfully overcome religious and ethnic prejudices.
Since the country became independent in 2002 no journalists have been jailed for their work and there have not been any death cases of media people reported. However, journalist safety and media freedom are under constant threat, mainly from the press law and government figures. Not only that but also, although the press in the country is free, few people read it.
The media sector in Timor-Leste is underdeveloped. According to BBC News, the main and the only public and TV broadcaster is Radio Televisaun Timor Leste. There are more than 20 community radio stations and several daily and weekly publications in multiple languages, including Portuguese, Tetum, and English. The most famous ones are Jornal Independente, Suara Timor Lorosae, and Tempo Semanal — the free weekly newspaper. The global network protecting freedom of expression IFEX points out that journalists in Timor-Leste are underpaid and receive monthly salaries of just 10 dollars above the minimum wage without any additional benefits.
Outside the capital Dili, few people read the press because of the low literacy level of the population and the high cost of newspapers. Internet World Stats data shows that because of poverty and inadequate infrastructure, internet access in the country is limited to 37% or 515,000 of the 1.3 million population in 2022. According to the website Datareportal internet users have grown in 2023 and now make up 49.6% of the total population. Some rural areas in Timor-Leste do not have access to any form of media other than radio. The overall media landscape is affected by this restricted flow of information and media access.
Journalists in the country often face harassment by politicians. IFEX informs on the following cases: two journalists who declared a state prosecutor corrupt were sued and fined in 2013; four cases of journalists being beaten by police officers were reported in March and April 2015; on Oct. 20, 2014, the parliament passed a resolution denouncing the media in Timor-Leste after the new outlets republished an Indonesian article inaccurately quoting Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao during an interview from Jakarta.
According to IFEX, the Timor-Leste Press Law has been in force since its approval from the formal President Taur Matan Ruak at the beginning of 2015. The law restricts foreign journalists from reporting without government permission, raising media freedom and distribution concerns. This prevents any external investigation of issues in Timor-Leste. The law also restricts access to the journalist profession in the country as Article 14 of the law imposes mandatory internships of varying lengths for people with secondary or bachelor’s degree education, limiting entry into the journalism field. On the other hand, the media council, which has the right to legalize journalists, provides training to whoever is interested.
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Gergana Ilieva is double-majoring in Journalism and Business Administration and minoring in Modern Languages with French at the American University in Bulgaria. She learned a lot about press freedom when doing this research.
