In 2008, Televisión Nacional de Honduras (TNH) was established with the purpose of disseminating information about government policies. Prior to its establishment, the only media outlets in the country were privately owned and closely aligned with the military government. President Manuel Zelaya issued a decree in 2008, enabling the government to operate its own national television network, TNH. The new channel took over the frequency of Canal 8, which was previously used by the privately owned Teleunsa broadcaster. After a lengthy legal battle between the state and Teleunsa, a court ruling in 2014 permitted the state to maintain control of the channel.
Media assets
Television: TNH
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
TNH is owned by the Honduran government, specifically by the Presidency, which has complete control over the station’s administration. The Minister of the Office for Strategy and Communication appoints the General Director of TNH. The station does not have a board of directors, and there is no competition for hiring the station’s management and staff; everything is dictated by the government.
Source of funding and budget
The Secretariat of the Honduran Presidency allocates some of its budget to TNH, which relies entirely on state funding to operate. Advertising is not permitted on state media, including both TNH and Radio Nacional de Honduras (RNH). Unfortunately, there is a lack of data about the size of TNH’s budget in recent years.
The station often faces financial shortages, which have frequently led to delays in paying its staff.
Editorial independence
The Office of Communication and Strategy of the presidency controls the content and editorial line of TNH. The station was created in 2008 to support President Manuel Zelaya’s policies, activities, and the “Cuarta Urna” (Fourth Urn) political campaign, which critics claimed was a means to secure his indefinite re-election. Shortly after TNH was established, a coup overthrew President Zelaya, and the station became a voice for the new government, a role it continues to play to this day.
The station is governed by the Code of Ethics of the Presidential House and the Labor Code of Honduras. However, during the latest round of research, no domestic statute that establishes TNH’s editorial independence was identified.
No independent assessment or oversight mechanism has been identified to validate the independence of TNH in the latest research. The Office of Communication and Presidential Strategy is responsible for the station’s editorial policy.
July 2024