Agence Bénin Presse (ABP) was the flagship news agency of the state of Benin. It was founded in 1961 under the name Agence France-Presse en Republique du Dahomey. In January 2022, the government announced the closure of ABP. Hence, we removed the outlet from the database.
Media assets
CLOSED
Ownership and governance
ABP was subordinated to the Ministry of Communication and Post, according to information from the ministry. The director general of the agency was appointed by the President of the state, according to official information from state decrees. The highest governing body at ABP was its Board of Directors whose members, in majority (four out of six), represented state authorities (ministries), according to official information from state decrees.
Source of funding and budget
ABP was fully funded through a state subsidy, which was approved every year by the government, according to official information from state decrees.
Editorial independence
There were no editorial provisions obliging ABP to cover government authorities in a certain way, yet, indirectly, through funding and control of the agency’s management, the government fully controlled the editorial coverage of the outlet, which was clearly pro-government, according to an ad hoc content analysis.
No statue and no oversight or assessment mechanism that would validate ABP’s editorial independence have been identified.
February 2022