Founded in 1996, ABI is a news agency with a traffic of 24 million weekly visits online.
Media assets
News agency: ABI
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Like almost all state media in Bolivia, ABI depends on the Ministry of the Presidency headed by the country’s president. Following the change in the government in 2020, the newly elected authorities led by the Socialist Party (MAS) changed the management of all state media in Bolivia, including ABI, a clear sign that the government is planning to cement its control over the state media.
Source of funding and budget
No source of data regarding the budget of ABI has been identified. The agency doesn’t sell ads and its content is available free of charge online.
Editorial independence
Most of the agency’s content consists of information critical of the former president Morales and articles favorable to the government that ruled until the 2020 elections. The outlet changed after 2020 its editorial agenda to favor the newly anointed government.
There is no domestic statute and no independent assessment mechanism to validate the independence of ABI.
August 2023