Established in 1976, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) is the largest news agency in Cyprus.
Media assets
News agency: CNA
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded (ISF)
Ownership and governance
The CNA operates under a law from 1989, which established it as an independent and autonomous institution. It is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors, primarily consisting of representatives of journalists from institutions such as the Cyprus Journalists Union, the Cyprus Newspaper and Magazine Publishers Association, and CyBC. Additionally, there are members of the Press and Information Office (PIO) at the Ministry of Interior on the board, but they do not form the majority.
Source of funding and budget
CNA does not disclose its financial data. According to data published by the media, the agency is funded through a combination of state subsidies and revenues from subscriptions sold to news media and state authorities. The state contributes over 50% to CNA’s annual budget. In 2022, CNA operated with a budget of €2.9m, of which €2.1m came from the state budget. In 2023, the agency had a budget of €2.94m, with the government contributing €2.58m.
Editorial independence
The government does not impose editorial rules on CNA, and there is no evidence of government control over CNA. An ad hoc content analysis of the agency’s editorial output for this report in May 2022 found diverse and balanced content. The MJRC conducted a content analysis for this report in May 2024 and found identical results.
The CNA Law established the agency as a news outlet with complete editorial independence.
No independent assessment or oversight mechanism has been identified to validate the agency’s editorial independence.
August 2024