Media Sustainability Index (MSI) - Africa

IREX’s Media Sustainability Index (MSI) provides in-depth analyses of the conditions for independent media in 80 countries across the world.

MSI Overview | Africa | Asia | Europe & Eurasia | Middle East & North Africa

Overview of MSI Africa

The 2009 edition of the Africa MSI provides an analysis of the media environment in 40 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. As this is the third MSI study of the region, there are now several years of data, enough to draw a meaningful understanding of the development trajectories for the region, and the individual countries studied.

The results also capture the rapidly changing new media landscape on the continent. Although new media promise to open new avenues of expression, some governments view the expansion of such technologies as a threat. At one of of the spectrum, South Africa and Tanzania enjoy a relatively high degree of digital freedom. Many other countries, including Eritrea and Ethiopia, heavily monitor, censor and restrict the use of new media tools. Interestingly, many African governments that censor traditional media do not yet restrict the Internet. Perhaps believing it unnecessary, these governments instead might be relying on poor access and the prohibitive cost of connecting to dampen the Internet's influence.

MSI Africa Chapters

Download Full Version of 2009 MSI Africa (PDF)

MSI Africa Data

Although many scores did not change dramatically in the 2009 edition, serious shifts within the objectives nonetheless reveal significant changes. Although no countries studied in the MSI Africa edition have yet moved into the range of sustainability on the MSI scale (signified by a score between a 3 and a 4), at 2.99, South Africa's 2009 MSI overall score climbed to the brink, strengthening its leadership status in the region and on the continent. At the other end of the spectrum, a handful of countries, including Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, and Zimbabwe, continue on a severely destructive course. Eritrea continues to receive the lowest scores—the lowest for not only the Africa MSI, but the Middle East & North Africa and the Europe & Eurasia editions, as well.

MSI Africa 2009 Score Compilation

How Does IREX Define and Measure Sustainability?

By “sustainability” IREX refers to the ability of media to play its vital role as the “fourth estate.” How sustainable is a media sector in the context of providing the public with useful, timely, and objective information? How well does it serve as a facilitator of public discussion? To measure this, the MSI assesses five “objectives” that shape a media system: freedom of speech, professional journalism, plurality of news, business management, and supporting institutions. Read the complete MSI Methodology for more information on how this is accomplished.

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For more information or to request a hard copy, email msi@irex.org. Please provide name, full mailing address, region(s), MSI publication year, and quantity.
Download PDF Versions
2009: Cover | Pub Info & TOC | Intro & Executive Summary | Full Version
2008: Cover | Pub Info & TOC | Intro & Executive Summary | Full Version
2006/07: Cover | Pub Info & TOC | Intro & Executive Summary | All Chapters
Acknowledgement

This publication was made possible through support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No. #DFD-A-00-05-00243 (MSI-MENA) via a Task Order by the Academy for Educational Development.