About the MSI
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IREX designed the MSI to measure the strength and viability of any country's media sector. The MSI considers all the factors that contribute to a media system—the quality of journalism, effectiveness of management, the legal environment supporting freedom of the press, and more—to arrive at scores on a scale ranging between 0 and 4. These scores represent the strength of the media sector components and can be analyzed over time to chart progress (or regression) within a country. Additionally, countries or regions may be compared to one another. IREX currently conducts the MSI in 80 countries, and began studying Africa in 2006.
MSI Overview [8] | Africa [9] | Asia [10] | Europe & Eurasia [11] | Middle East & North Africa [12]
MSI Methodology [13]
Download Complete Sudan Chapter (PDF): 2012 [14] | 2010 [15] | 2009 [16] | 2008 [17] | 2006/7 [18]
MSI Sudan - 2012 Introduction
Overall Country Score: 1.10
The events leading up to, and following, the secession of South Sudan in 2011 had a significant negative impact on the media sector in Sudan. Scores for all five objectives fell significantly from the previous MSI study in 2010. Partly, this is a correction from the fact that the previous study considered both parts of the now divided country. But moves to crush independent journalists in the wake of the secession, border violence, and a domestic protest movement caused significant deterioration in Sudan’s own media environment.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 (CPA) between the two regions’ dominant political parties, the National Congress Party (NCP) of President Omar Al Bashir and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of South Sudan provided for a referendum to take place in 2011, and more importantly, the drafting of a constitution in which the people’s rights are respected. The 2005 Interim Constitution includes a provision that addresses the freedom of speech and expression, but this clause is restricted in practice. The CPA fostered the constitutional bill of rights and the positive political environment that prevailed before the 2010 elections, and these developments established some measure of stability in the media sector by decreasing harassment and human rights violations at that time.
However, the government took aggressive action against recalcitrant journalists as a result of the conflict in the Nuba Mountains and South Kordfan, which erupted between the Government of Khartoum and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in June 2011. Any attempt to criticize the government over the conflicts is banned. A number of journalists were suspended from publishing, and some were brought before courts for charges of defamation or dissemination of false information detrimental to national security. Access to public information is extremely difficult, and whether or not to grant such access is at public officials’ discretion.
The loss of three-fourths of the former Sudan's total oil production as a result of the South Sudan secession incited great angst and resentment within the Sudan regime. Austerity measures were the primary cause of the 2012 June-July protests against the government. Harassment of the press increased in step with their attempts to cover these events.
A new and more restrictive draft Press and Printed Press Materials Act will replace the slightly reformed 2009 version, which still fell short of international standards. The new draft affords the National Council for Press and Publication (NCPP) the power to withdraw journalists’ accreditation and other licensing. The draft also gives NCPP the right to suspend any newspaper for up to 10 days without a court decision, further bolstering its authority over the media. In addition, NCPP would gain the power to suspend journalists for up to two months.
Given the increased pressures and crimes against journalists—domestic and foreign alike—that practice in Sudan, the country retains one of the least sustainable media environments in the world.