The World’s State and Public Media Database
We map the funding, governance, ownership, and editorial independence of state and public media worldwide, ranking each broadcaster through a unique classification system that exposes control and influence.
Latest news and studies
All regional overviewsSpain’s RTVE upgraded to the independent category
Spain’s national public broadcaster moves into the independent family of the State Media Matrix. The brief sets out the evidence behind the change.
State and Public Media in Eurasia in 2026
Twelve jurisdictions, from Russia and Central Asia to the South Caucasus, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Russia alone accounts for 18 entries, none of them independent.
- The Eurasian MonolithEvery Eurasian entry and its classification since 2022
- The Asian Mosaic111 organisations across East, Southeast and South Asia
- State and Public Media in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2026Why strong press freedom does not make a broadcaster independent
- State and Public Media in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026Near-total control, exercised through an unusually wide set of tools
- Seven ways a state holds a newsroomAn interactive guide to the State Media Matrix
- State and Public Media in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2026145 outlets in 41 countries, where government dominance remains close to total
- U.S. Agency for Global MediaProfile: why USAGM remains State-Controlled in 2026
- State Media in the Middle East: A Region Built on State Control14 countries and territories, ranked
- The African ViewEvery Sub-Saharan outlet and its trajectory since 2022
More sub-regional analyses from the 2026 cycle
Where independence stands
Each square below is one state or public media outlet assessed in the 2025 Global Study. 512 of the 606 answer to a government or to political interests. Only 19 meet the bar for independent public media.
The 2026 cycle is under way. Updated regional analyses are being published region by region, and individual outlets are reclassified as new evidence comes in.
Region by region
Share of mapped state and public media that are controlled or captured. Select a region to see its full breakdown.
North America and Oceania are covered in the Global List. Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe show their full 2025 composition.
2025 composition, 2026 roster
Sub-Saharan Africa
145 outlets in 41 countries mapped for 2026
- State-Controlled116
- Captured public15
- Captured private4
- Independent, state-funded and managed2
The starkest imbalance of any region: in 2025, 116 of 137 outlets were State-Controlled and only two showed any independence. Private groups are being drawn in as well, with four Tanzanian conglomerates reclassified as captured in 2025.
2026 cycle
Middle East & North Africa
85 outlets in 19 countries
- State-Controlled52
- Captured public18
- Captured private13
- Independent, state-funded and managed2
Control takes more forms here than anywhere else. Captured public and private outlets make up nearly two-fifths of the sample, including large Gulf groups where capture comes with commercial scale. The only independent outlets are Israel’s Kan and Galatz.
2026 cycle
Eurasia
60 entries in 12 jurisdictions
- State-Controlled49
- Captured public6
- Captured private3
- Independent, state-funded and managed1
- Independent, state-funded1
Only Moldova’s Teleradio-Moldova and Ukraine’s Suspilne sit in the independent family; Russia, Central Asia and the South Caucasus have none. The roster shrank from 69 to 60 entries this cycle, and not one of those changes produced a new independent outlet.
2026 cycle
Asia
111 active organisations in 26 jurisdictions
- State-Controlled64
- Captured public28
- Captured private10
- Independent, state-funded and managed3
- Independent, state-managed2
- Independent public4
One of the world’s largest State-Controlled blocs, but with movement in both directions. Indonesia’s TVRI and RRI and Japan’s NHK were upgraded in 2025, while several ASEAN states deepened content partnerships with Xinhua and other Chinese state media.
2026 cycle
Latin America & the Caribbean
68 outlets in 25 countries
- State-Controlled52
- Captured public4
- Captured private1
- Independent, state-funded and managed6
- Independent, state-funded5
A free media market is no guarantee. Uruguay and Costa Rica rank among the freest media environments in the Americas, yet neither has a national broadcaster that meets the independence threshold, and Jamaica’s only mapped outlet was reclassified as State-Controlled this cycle.
2025 composition
Europe
116 outlets mapped in 2025
- State-Controlled31
- Captured public8
- Captured private23
- Independent, state-funded and managed26
- Independent, state-funded5
- Independent, state-managed10
- Independent public13
Home to 13 of the world’s 19 independent public media outlets, yet State-Controlled has become Europe’s most common single model, after the capture of Spain’s regional broadcasters and political pressure in Slovakia and Montenegro.
Seven models, three levers
Every outlet is tested on who pays for it, who runs it and who decides what it reports. The more of those levers a government holds, the less independent the newsroom.
| Model | Funding | Ownership or governance | Editorial line | Outlets, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
State-ControlledSCThe state pays, appoints and steers the news. The most widespread model in the world. | State controls | State controls | State controls | 392 |
Captured PublicCaPuState-owned or state-managed, with that position used to shape coverage, whether or not the state is the main funder. | Sometimes | State controls | State controls | 67 |
Captured PrivateCaPrPrivately owned, but kept in line through state advertising, public contracts or owners allied with those in power. | Indirectly | No | State controls | 53 |
Independent State-Funded and State-ManagedISFMFunded and run by the state, which leaves editorial choices to journalists. Independence rests on restraint, so it stays fragile. | State controls | State controls | No | 44 |
Independent State-FundedISFRelies mainly on state money, but the state neither owns it nor controls its boards. | State controls | No | No | 16 |
Independent State-ManagedISMState-owned or state-governed but not mainly state-funded, and its editorial autonomy is respected. | No | State controls | No | 15 |
Independent PublicIPFunding and governance designed to keep government out, backed by working editorial safeguards. | No | No | No | 19 |
Profiles worth reading
Country and outlet profiles set out the evidence behind each classification. Start with these.
U.S. Agency for Global Media
United StatesThe umbrella for Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, with grants to RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia and MBN. Downgraded to State-Controlled in 2025 after an executive order to dismantle it, politically aligned leadership and frozen grant funding, a first for a North American outlet. It remains State-Controlled in 2026.
Read the profileRussia
EurasiaThe largest single-country roster: 18 entries, from VGTRK and TASS to RT, and none in the independent family. RSF 2026: 172nd of 180.
Read the profileTaiwan
East AsiaAll three outlets are independent, and Taiwan ranks highest in Asia on press freedom. But 2026 budget decisions tying public broadcaster governance to frozen funds add a new structural risk.
Read the profileFiji
OceaniaThe Fiji Broadcasting Corporation has worked with more day-to-day autonomy since the 2022 change of government and the 2023 repeal of the Media Industry Development Act.
Read the profileCôte d’Ivoire
Western AfricaNo State-Controlled outlets at all, giving it a more plural state-media sector than its Sahel neighbours under military rule.
Read the profileLibya
Northern AfricaA state media system split between two rival authorities. Even the national news agency runs as two parallel editions, and there is no unified regulator.
Read the profileWho moved
Classifications are reviewed every cycle. Recent reclassifications:
2026
- ↑RTVE, SpainUpgraded to the independent family, 1 October
- ↓Jamaica’s only mapped outletReclassified as State-Controlled
- ↔Moldpres, MoldovaState-Controlled to Captured Public; both non-independent
2025
- ↑TVRI and RRI, IndonesiaState-Controlled to Independent State-Funded and State-Managed
- ↑NHK, JapanCaptured Public to Independent State-Managed
- ↓USAGM, United StatesIndependent State-Funded and State-Managed to State-Controlled
- ↓Four private groups, TanzaniaSahara Media, Uhuru Media, IPP Media and Azam Media now Captured Private
- ↓ISNA, IranOnce semi-independent, now State-Controlled
How a classification is made
- Gather the evidenceBudgets and revenue sources, ownership records and appointment rules, and the outlet’s editorial record, collected by country researchers.
- Ask three questionsDoes the state provide most of the money? Does it own the outlet or control who runs it? Does it shape what gets reported?
- Assign one of seven modelsThe pattern of answers places the outlet in the State Media Matrix, from State-Controlled to Independent Public.
- Review it every cycleProfiles are updated continuously, with a global overview each September–October. Outlets that close, merge or fall out of scope leave the active roster.
Data collection began in 2004. More than 600 researchers have contributed, through projects including Television Across Europe, Mapping Digital Media and the Media Influence Matrix. Read the methodology
Questions the data often raises
Why are operators counted, not channels?
A broadcaster running ten TV channels counts once, so countries with large and small state networks can be compared fairly. Where a single entity holds an unusually large captured portfolio, such as KESMA in Hungary, the analysis flags it rather than counting each title.
Since 2022, outlets run by separate operators are counted separately, which is why Nigeria’s state-level broadcasters now appear as individual entities.
Can a private outlet be state media?
Yes, when control is persistent and systemic. The Captured Private model covers privately owned outlets whose coverage is steered by people or businesses linked to state power, usually through advertising, public contracts or allied owners. In 2025, four Tanzanian groups were reclassified this way.
If a country has a free press, why isn’t its broadcaster independent?
Because a competitive media market does not build safeguards inside the public broadcaster. Uruguay and Costa Rica rank among the freest media environments in the Americas, yet neither national broadcaster meets the independence threshold. Jamaica’s only mapped outlet was reclassified as State-Controlled in 2026 for the same reason.
Does a shorter list mean looser control?
Not necessarily. Eurasia’s roster fell from 69 to 60 entries in 2026 after ownership reviews, consolidations and scope corrections, yet no entry moved into the independent family. Where ownership is opaque, fewer verifiable outlets can sit alongside tightening state influence.
Is every reclassification an upgrade or a downgrade?
No. Moldova’s news agency Moldpres moved from State-Controlled to Captured Public in 2026 because the evidence did not show that the state was its main direct funder. Both models are non-independent; the change refines the diagnosis rather than signalling reform.
What happens when the evidence points two ways?
The profile says so. Côte d’Ivoire’s publishing group SNPECI is rated Independent State-Funded and State-Managed with caution: its ownership and funding point toward capture, but analysis of its editorial content shows autonomy in practice.
Are established democracies exempt?
No. The U.S. Agency for Global Media was downgraded from ISFM to State-Controlled in 2025, and public broadcasters in Slovakia, Montenegro and Spain’s regions have also lost ground. Classifications follow the evidence, not a country’s reputation.
Studies and data
Global Study archive- 2025Independence Under SiegeThe 2025 Global Study: 606 outlets in 170 countriesPDF
- 2024Key findings 2024A short overview in place of a full reportArticle
- 2023From Puppet to PowerhouseA global study of the independence of state and public mediaReport
- 2022The State of State MediaThe first global analysis built on the State Media MatrixPDF
Using the data?
The dataset has a permanent DOI on Zenodo. Please cite it as:
Dragomir, M. (2025). State Media Monitor Global Dataset 2025. Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17219015
Our data and findings have been cited by Newsweek, Sveriges Radio, ABC Radio, the Public Media Alliance and Media Azi, and presented at an OSCE roundtable.
Seen a change we should review?
If a broadcaster’s funding, board or editorial line has shifted, send us the evidence. Every classification can be revisited.