Media assets

Television: EriTV 1, EriTV 2, EriTV 3

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

Eri-TV is wholly owned, operated, and tightly controlled by the Ministry of Information of Eritrea, which oversees all other media in the country. The broadcaster has no independent board or oversight structure, and all senior editorial and managerial appointments are made by the Ministry, reportedly based on political loyalty.

Source of funding and budget

Eri-TV is entirely funded by the Eritrean government. As of June 2025, no official data on its budget or financial structure has been released, as Eritrea remains one of the most opaque countries globally in terms of fiscal transparency. Government sources consulted by international watchdogs confirm that the broadcaster’s operations are directly subsidized through undisclosed allocations from the state treasury. Advertising revenues, if any, appear minimal and are not publicly reported.

Editorial independence

Eri-TV functions as an extension of the state’s propaganda apparatus. Like all other media in Eritrea, it lacks editorial autonomy and serves primarily to promote government policies and narratives. It does not allow for dissenting views, investigative journalism, or criticism of state officials.

There is no constitutional statute or legal framework guaranteeing editorial independence for the broadcaster. Furthermore, no independent regulatory or oversight body exists to assess its performance or content. Eritrea continues to rank among the worst in the world for press freedom, with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) again placing it near the bottom of its 2025 World Press Freedom Index.

Recent reports from exiled Eritrean journalists suggest that Eri-TV has increased its production of diaspora-targeted content since 2023, likely as part of a broader soft-power effort by the government to influence public opinion among Eritrean communities abroad.

June 2025

Media assets

Radio: Dimtsi Hafash Eritrea

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

Dimtsi Hafash Eritrea is owned and operated by the Eritrean government and falls under the direct authority of the Ministry of Information. The Ministry appoints all managerial personnel and exercises full editorial control. There is no independent governance structure or board overseeing the broadcaster’s operations.

Source of funding and budget

The broadcaster is entirely state-funded, with no public disclosure of its financial accounts. Eritrea’s broader fiscal environment remains opaque, and no recent budget figures for Dimtsi Hafash have been made available as of June 2025. Independent media watchdogs report that the broadcaster’s operations are sustained through undisclosed government allocations, with no significant advertising or commercial income.

Editorial independence

Dimtsi Hafash Eritrea lacks editorial autonomy and functions as a propaganda arm of the state. It does not produce independent journalism or provide space for critical views or political pluralism. All content is shaped by the Ministry of Information and is geared toward reinforcing the government’s narratives both domestically and abroad.

There is no legal statute or regulatory mechanism in Eritrea that ensures or assesses the editorial independence of Dimtsi Hafash. Eritrea remains one of the world’s most repressive environments for media, with no independent press and no space for civil society oversight. In the 2025 edition of the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Eritrea once again ranked among the bottom three globally.

In recent years, Dimtsi Hafash has expanded its diaspora outreach, mirroring the government’s broader strategy of projecting influence among Eritrean expatriates, especially in Europe, North America, and parts of East Africa.

June 2025

Media assets

Radio: Radio Bana

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

Radio Bana is owned and operated by the Eritrean Ministry of Education, which exerts full control over the station’s management, editorial direction, and content. All key appointments are made by the Ministry, and programming aligns strictly with official government narratives and educational directives.

Source of funding and budget

The station is fully funded by the Eritrean government. As of June 2025, no official budget figures or financial details are publicly available, in line with the broader opacity of Eritrea’s state finances. Independent verification of the station’s operational costs or revenue streams remains impossible due to the lack of transparency and the absence of public financial disclosures.

Editorial independence

Radio Bana does not operate with editorial independence. While its stated focus is education, its content is tightly controlled by the Ministry of Education and subject to broader state censorship policies. Staff reportedly work under strict surveillance and political pressure, and there is a climate of fear among employees.

According to testimonies from Eritrean journalists in exile and local sources, the station has faced notable crackdowns in the past. In 2009, authorities conducted a major raid on Radio Bana’s offices, resulting in the arrest of more than a dozen staff members, some of whom were accused of collaborating with foreign-based Eritrean radio stations or attending gatherings where the government was allegedly criticized. As of 2025, several of those journalists remain unaccounted for, and there are no indications that investigations into the incident were ever conducted transparently or followed due process.

No legal statute exists in Eritrea to guarantee the editorial independence of Radio Bana or any other media outlet. There is also no independent body or institutional mechanism to oversee the station’s operations or protect its journalists from state interference. Eritrea continues to rank among the world’s worst environments for press freedom, and media institutions such as Radio Bana operate entirely within a framework of state control and repression.

June 2025

The main publications currently include:

• Eritrea Profile – published twice a week in English, serving as the government’s official bulletin for international and diplomatic audiences.
• Haddas Ertra – the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Tigrinya, the majority language in Eritrea.
• Eritrea Al Haditha – published in Arabic, aimed at Arabic-speaking communities in Eritrea and neighboring regions.
• Eritrea Haddas – another newspaper in Tigrinya, although its print schedule has become increasingly irregular since 2023.
• Men’esey, Shebab, and Agizo – occasional magazines targeting youth, labor, and cultural themes, respectively. These magazines have not been published since mid-2024, according to reports from local sources and diaspora monitoring groups, and are believed to be effectively defunct as of 2025.

All active publications are available in digital format on the official website of the Ministry of Information, which serves as the central online platform for Eritrean state media.

Media assets

Publishing: Newspapers- Haddas Ertra, Eritrea Al Haditha, Eritrea Haddas, Eritrea Profile; Magazines- Men’esey, Shebab, Agizo

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

All print outlets are wholly owned and governed by the Ministry of Information. There is no independent editorial board, and content is published in line with government directives. Journalists and editors are appointed by the Ministry and operate under tight state supervision.

Source of funding and budget

The print media are fully funded by the Eritrean government. According to local journalists interviewed for this report, the newspapers previously accepted small-scale advertising, primarily from government agencies and state-owned enterprises. However, these revenues contribute less than 5% to the total budget and have reportedly declined further in recent years.

No official budget data is publicly available, as Eritrea does not publish detailed state financial accounts. Independent auditing or transparency regarding media funding is non-existent.

Editorial independence

Eritrea’s print media lack all forms of editorial independence. Content across all outlets is heavily censored and crafted to promote government positions. There is no critical reporting, and dissenting opinions are categorically excluded.

There is no statute, regulation, or oversight body ensuring editorial independence or protecting press freedom in the country. Eritrea remains one of the most censored media environments globally, ranked consistently at the bottom of press freedom indexes, including the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, where it placed 179th out of 180 countries.

June 2025

Media assets

News agency: ERINA

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

ERINA is fully owned and operated by the Ministry of Information, which retains exclusive control over its operations, staffing, and editorial direction. According to journalists and media experts familiar with the agency’s structure, no independent management body or board exists. Editorial decisions are made within the ministry and enforced across all state media platforms that rely on ERINA’s output.

Source of funding and budget

ERINA is entirely funded by the Eritrean government. As of June 2025, no financial reports or budget allocations have been published, consistent with the Eritrean government’s broader lack of fiscal transparency. Local journalists interviewed in 2022 and 2024 confirmed that the agency receives its funding through non-transparent government subsidies and does not generate revenue independently.

Several affiliated provincial news bulletins and print-based news summaries, which had previously republished ERINA content in regional languages, have ceased operations since 2023 due to resource constraints and consolidation efforts by the Ministry of Information. These closures have further centralized the government’s information control in the hands of ERINA and a few remaining state broadcasters.

Editorial independence

ERINA, like all other media outlets in Eritrea, operates with no editorial independence. It functions as a direct tool of state propaganda, reporting solely on government-approved topics and officials. News content is closely monitored and cleared by the Ministry of Information before publication. The agency does not publish any material critical of the state, nor does it report on opposition voices, civil society, or independent institutions.

There is no legal statute or institutional mechanism to safeguard or assess the editorial independence of ERINA. Eritrea continues to rank among the worst countries in the world for press freedom, with no independent media, no protections for journalists, and no oversight institutions.

June 2025

Media assets

News agency: TesfaNews

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

Tesfa News is owned and governed by the Eritrean government, with editorial control reportedly exercised by officials within the Ministry of Information. Although the website presents itself as an independent news platform, reporting by Eritrean journalists and external media watchdogs confirms that it functions as an unofficial extension of state propaganda, reflecting official government messaging.

Source of funding and budget

Tesfa News is fully state-funded, according to multiple Eritrean journalists interviewed in 2022 and again in 2025. However, as of June 2025, no public financial data is available regarding the portal’s operational budget or staff salaries. The Eritrean government does not release line-item budget allocations, and Tesfa News is not mentioned in any formal public expenditure documentation.

Editorial independence

Tesfa News does not possess editorial independence. It consistently promotes state policies and leadership narratives and does not publish critical content or dissenting views. The site has been used to discredit exiled journalists, opposition figures, and international human rights organizations, often through anonymous op-eds or unattributed commentary aligned with the state’s position.

There is no domestic statute establishing the editorial independence of Tesfa News. Additionally, no independent regulatory or oversight mechanism exists to monitor or evaluate the site’s journalistic standards or governance.

Tesfa News remains active, although its output has significantly declined since late 2023, and its website has experienced intermittent downtime throughout early 2025. Social media activity linked to the outlet—primarily via Twitter (X) and Facebook—has also decreased sharply, raising questions about its current operational capacity. While not officially closed, the outlet is considered to be in a semi-dormant state, with no new articles published between February and May 2025. No official explanation has been provided by the Eritrean government.

May 2025

Media assets

Radio: Zara FM

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

June 2024