The 2025 State Media Monitor reveals a further erosion of editorial independence in state and public media worldwide. Out of the 606 outlets surveyed, 512 (85%) are captured or controlled, compared to 505 out of 601 (84%) in 2024. This marginal decline underscores a continuing downward trajectory since monitoring began in 2021.

The State Controlled (SC) model remains the most widespread, accounting for 392 outlets in 2025, only slightly below last year’s 393. Most SC outlets are located in Asia (86), Sub-Saharan Africa (116), MENA (52), and Eurasia (54). By contrast, the number of Independent Public Media (IP)—the benchmark for editorial autonomy—remains stubbornly low. The total rose from 18 outlets in 2024 to 19 in 2025, representing just 3% of the global sample, with 13 based in Europe, 4 in Asia, and 2 in North America. (for a detailed explanation of the differences between the various forms of editorial control by the government, refer to our Methodology and Matrix).

Overall, the number of outlets displaying genuine editorial independence declined from 96 in 2024 to 94 in 2025, the lowest since the launch of the Monitor. The deterioration was marked by the loss of six outlets that had previously been ranked as independent. At the same time, Captured Private Media (CaPr) grew from 48 in 2024 to 53 in 2025, showing how governments increasingly rely on economic leverage to bend private ownership structures to their advantage. Captured Public or State Managed Media (CaPu) also increased slightly, from 64 in 2024 to 67 in 2025.

The most dramatic shift occurred in the United States, a country traditionally perceived as safer ground for editorially independent media. In a historical development, a North American outlet was downgraded to SC status. In early 2025, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM)—the umbrella for Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and the Middle East Broadcasting Network—was brought directly under the control of President Trump’s administration. Funding freezes and management purges left most of these broadcasters dormant, with only VOA surviving at a third of its former staff capacity. In parallel, Congress froze funding for PBS, effectively suspending operations and putting its workforce on indefinite leave. This shift illustrates how quickly public media independence can collapse even in established democracies.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, conditions were not much better. The region counted 51 state-controlled outlets in 2025, roughly the same as in 2024, with only six media companies retaining some form of independence.

Elsewhere, patterns remained broadly consistent with the previous year. Europe continued to stand out as a relative stronghold of independence, with 54 outlets out of 116 maintaining editorial freedom, though losses in Spain demonstrate that even in Europe the trend is fragile. Sub-Saharan Africa offered the starkest imbalance: of 137 outlets surveyed, 116 were state controlled and only two displayed any degree of independence. MENA remained dominated by state influence, with 52 SC outlets, unchanged from 2024. Asia recorded a small improvement in the IP category, which rose from three to four outlets, but still had one of the highest concentrations of SC media globally with 86. Oceania remained the most balanced region, with four ISFM outlets, three ISF, and one SC, though its sample is small at only nine outlets in total.

Taken together, the results confirm a world in which independent public media are increasingly rare, captured media are on the rise, and the United States—long seen as a bastion of editorial independence—is no longer immune to the global trend of political interference and state control.

Cite this study

Dragomir, M. & Jasin, M. R. (2025). Independence Under Siege: The State Media Monitor 2025 Global Study. Media and Journalism Research Center: Tallinn/London/Santiago de Compostela.

Go to the study key findings and conclusions web page: click here.

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In the past year, the government’s grip on state media has remained overwhelmingly strong, albeit with a slight decrease. According to State Media Monitor, some 83% of the 592 state-administered media entities across 157 countries lack editorial independence. While this figure is down by one percentage point from the previous year, it still represents an increase from the 80% recorded in 2021.

The share of media outlets categorized as state-controlled has seen a slight decline. These outlets, which are primarily funded, managed, and editorially controlled by the government, now make up approximately 76% of the 493 outlets lacking independence. This marks a decrease from the previous year’s figure of 80%. 

The slight decrease experienced by the incidence of government-controlled media can be attributed to the ongoing trend of media centralization pursued by several governments. This strategy involves consolidating multiple media outlets into larger entities, albeit in smaller numbers. A notable example of this can be observed in Morocco, where the government is currently in the process of merging numerous outlets under the state-controlled media outlet SNRT.

But state and public media have a significantly larger and expanding outreach when their portfolios of assets are analyzed. As per the State Media Monitor, the combined ownership of these media entities amounts to nearly 6,200 media assets. This figure includes television and radio channels, print titles, news agencies, and news portals, but not the websites associated with their traditional media operations.

Over the past year, six media outlets have experienced a downgrade in our matrix due to the loss of their editorial independence. These include RTA in Argentina, SINART in Costa Rica, Once in Mexico, CRTVG in Galicia, Spain, RTSH in Albania, and Czech Radio.

However, there have also been positive developments, with five outlets being upgraded from a category lacking editorial independence to one that now possesses it. This includes the Central News Agency (CNA) in Taiwan, the public broadcaster RTCG in Montenegro, as well as three outlets in Slovenia – the public broadcast group RTVSLO, the news agency STA, and the news portal SiolNET (for more detailed information, please refer to the Regional Overviews).

The situation of state and public media worldwide continues to be a cause for concern. Only 99 outlets currently hold editorial independence. This represents a decrease of three outlets compared to the previous year. Out of these, a mere 19 can be classified as independent public service media, which is considered the golden standard for media independence in all aspects.

It is worth noting that the majority of the independent public media outlets, a total of 12, are located in Europe. Six Western European countries, namely Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, account for the presence of eight of these outlets. The remaining European independent public media outlets are distributed across Southern Europe, with Portugal being the sole representative, and Central and Eastern Europe, with Czechia and Lithuania each hosting one outlet.

But even these outlets are not immune to pressures. Several independent outlets are facing relentless attacks, particularly from right-wing politicians and parties who oppose the autonomy of public service media. The funding model of ORF and BBC, the public service media in Austria and the United Kingdom respectively, is currently subject to ongoing pressures for change. Concerned advocates for public media worry that these alterations could potentially jeopardize the continued existence of these outlets. 

Additionally, Europe is currently grappling with a concerning surge in the number of captured media outlets, accounting for nearly a third of all such cases globally. A total of 36 media outlets have fallen victim to capture. Out of these, 25 are privately owned and predominantly controlled by oligarchic entities that maintain close ties with state authorities. These outlets unabashedly toe the government’s line, leaving little room for impartiality. Worryingly, the number of such outlets continues to rise, with recent instances identified in Hungary and Turkey. 

Furthermore, it is worth noting that Eurasia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and MENA lack independent public media outlets, a clear sign of the growing divide between the Western nations and the rest of the globe. 

As war and conflict continue to escalate in Ukraine and the Middle East, concerns are mounting over the increasing government control of public and state media. This development is particularly worrisome as the world approaches a crucial election year in 2024.

Cite this study

Dragomir, M. & Söderström, A. (2023). From Puppet to Powerhouse: A Global Study of the Independence of State and Public Media. Media and Journalism Research Center: Tallinn/London

Go to the study key findings and conclusions web page: click here

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The government control over the state media remained extremely high in the past year, according to data gathered using our State Media Matrix and published in a new report today. Some 84% of the 595 state-administered media entities in 157 countries covered by this report lack editorial independence, up from 80% last year.

Worryingly, in the past year, more state media outlets lost their independence. A total of nine media entities, in countries such as Armenia, Tunisia and Jordan, lost their editorial autonomy, being relegated to an inferior model in the Matrix. Equally concerning, the situation of state media worsened in already highly-controlled media environments in Eurasia, MENA region and Asia, a result of global geopolitical developments and events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Taliban takeover of political power in Afghanistan, and political instability in Yemen and Tunisia. In Asia and MENA, the state-controlled type of media outlet accounts for 74% and 63% of all their state media, respectively.

No state media company gained editorial independence within the past year. Overall, we have 102 state media that have editorial independence, of which only 19 qualify as independent public service media (the model with the highest level of independence in all areas). Most of these independent public media, a total of 12 outlets, are based in Europe, and most of the independent public media in Europe, a total of eight, are based in six Western European countries (Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and the Netherlands).

On the other hand, the situation has not improved in Europe, either and state media in the region are faced with numerous threats as governments and political groups are stepping up efforts to gain more control of the media. Moreover, Europe is faced with a high incidence of cases of captured media outlets, 32 in total, more than a third of all such cases worldwide. A total of 21 of them are media outlets with private ownership, mostly oligarchic structures that have ties with state authorities and that follow an editorial line ostensibly supportive of the government. The number of these outlets is only increasing, with newly founded outlets in Poland, Serbia, and Slovenia.

Cite the study

Dragomir, M. &  Söderström, A. (2022). The State of State Media. A Global Analysis of the Editorial Independence of State Media Based on the State Media Matrix (2022 edition). Media and Journalism Research Center: Tallinn/London

Go to the study key findings and conclusions web page: click here.

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Going beyond the reductive dichotomy of state-controlled outlets vs independent public service media, CMDS Director Marius Dragomir has launched today a comparative study of state media in 151 countries along with the State Media Matrix, a brand new typology that allows classification of state media according to three key factors: funding, ownership/governance, and editorial autonomy.

Using these three main factors, Dragomir identified seven state media models that are characterized by various degrees of independence. At the opposite ends of the spectrum, you find the state-controlled media and the independent public media models.

The state-controlled model is widespread in the world, in countries such as China, several Southeast Asian nations, numerous Middle Eastern states, most of Africa as well as a slew of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America.

In contrast, the independent public media model, the ideal form of media created with a mission to serve the public interest, is on the brink of extinction. It can be found in several Western European countries, some Nordic countries, and a few nations in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.

In between the two “pure” extremes, there are five hybrid models. In the hybrid independent media category, you find the independent state-managed media model. These media outlets are majority owned by the government, yet they are not reliant on state subsidies and enjoy editorial autonomy. This is a rare model, found mostly in Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe.

The independent state-funded model is characterized by the predominance of state financing, lack of state influence in governing bodies and editorial autonomy. Equally rare, this model can be found in some Latin American countries and Europe, as well as in Australia, for example.

The independent state-funded and state-managed media model characterizes outlets that are owned or governed by the state and predominantly funded by the state but that preserve their editorial independence. Media in this rare category include Sidwaya publishing house and news agency in Burkina Faso, or American-owned global broadcasters such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America, among others.

In the hybrid captured media category, you find the captured public/state-managed media model, characterized by government control over governing structures and/or ownership, and editorial coverage. On the brink of becoming fully state-controlled, this is a large group, including, among others, various newspaper companies in Africa, public service media in Pakistan or Japan, and commercially funded Russian media groups close to the Russian government such as Gazprom Media.  

The captured private media model is characteristic of media outlets that are editorially controlled by state authorities without any direct form of state ownership or formal state-appointed governing bodies. This model is illustrative of media capture, an increasingly widespread phenomenon where people serving in state institutions, jointly with affiliated or controlled private businesses, often oligarchic structures, gain editorial control in a large number of privately held media companies. For example, the Hungarian government controls nearly 500 media outlets through a foundation that is believed to have links with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The captured private media model is usually found in countries with a tradition of state interventionism in the media, including Morocco, Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey or Serbia, Hungary and Poland.

Using the new State Media Matrix, the study covers 546 state media outlets in 151 countries in the world. Dragomir finds that government control in the state media has reached extremely high levels. Nearly 80% of 546 state-administered media companies lack editorial independence. More than 80% of the 436 media outlets whose editorial agenda is controlled by the government fall into the state-controlled media category. Of the 110 state media that have editorial independence, only 18 qualify as independent public service media: 11 of them are based in Europe, and most of them in five Western European countries.

In contrast, there are no independent public media outlets in Eurasia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and MENA, a strong indicator of the widening gap between the quality and reliability of news and information in the West and the poor output of high-quality news output in the rest of the world.

European media also face challenges. Many of its independent state media are in the independent state-funded and state-managed category, which presents the highest risk to editorial independence.

Europe also has a third of the world’s captured media outlets, 27 in total; 19 of them are media outlets with private ownership, mostly oligarchic structures that have ties with state authorities. The majority of the European captured media are located in the Central Eastern Europe and Turkey region, a sign of the declining media freedom in Europe’s post-communist nations and in Turkey.

It is also notable that the public media in Poland, Hungary and Turkey fall in the state-controlled category, which shows the extreme degree of media capture in these countries. The two other captured cases in Europe are in Greece and Italy.

Other parts of the world with a high incidence of media capture cases are Asia and the MENA region where the state media are in a much worse situation than in Europe due to the much larger state control. In Asia and MENA, for example, the state-controlled type of media outlet accounts for 74% and 63% of all their state media, respectively, much higher than 20% in Europe, the study finds.

The study was based on data and information about state media collected by Dragomir for more than a decade, including findings from the CMDS’ Media Influence Matrix, an ongoing research project. Astrid Söderström, a young researcher with CMDS, took part in the data analysis and drafting of the report.

Cite this study

Dragomir, M. & Söderström, A. (2022). The State of State Media: A Global Analysis of the Editorial Independence of State Media Based on the State Media Matrix. Center for Media, Data and Society: Budapest.

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