Media Index Finds Faults, Areas for Reform

The first comprehensive analysis of media development across the Middle East and North Africa was released last month as part of a MEPI-funded initiative.

In many countries in the region, media freedom is inhibited by self-censorship and free expression laws that are enacted but not enforced, according to the Middle East and North Africa Media Sustainability Index (MENA MSI) conducted by the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX).

The MENA MSI provides country-by-country rankings for the Middle East and North Africa by analyzing freedom of speech, plurality of media available to citizens, professional journalism standards, business sustainability of media, and the efficacy of institutions that support independent media.  The report is available at www.irex.org/msi.

Funded by MEPI, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and UNESCO, the MENA MSI provides a valuable tool for media professionals, policymakers, scholars, and advocates concerned about media and its role in democratic and economic reform.  The study was conducted by panels of media professionals in each of the 18 countries of the MENA region.

According to the executive summary, this first report “demonstrates several weaknesses—in particular, free press protections in the law that are not upheld in practice, and pervasive self-censorship—that are common not only among the countries of the region but also in other pars of the world where media sectors are in transition.”

Among the 18 countries in the region, the overall ranking for those covered by the MEPI Regional Office in Tunis were as follows: Lebanon (4), Morocco (6), Egypt (9), Algeria (13), Tunisia (17), and Libya (18).  On the specific indicator of free speech, the rankings were: Morocco (4), Lebanon (7), Egypt (9), Algeria (12), Tunisia (17), and Libya (18).
The top-ranked country in region, both overall and on the freedom of speech objective, was Qatar, followed on both tallies by Kuwait.

IREX, which carried out this analysis, is an international nonprofit organization providing leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media, and foster pluralistic civil society development.

In addition to the Media Sustainability Index, IREX is conducting a MEPI-funded program across the entire region called “MENA Media,” which supports the increased professionalism and sustainability of independent media by targeting the commercial, regulatory, and political factors that underpin the growth of an independent press.