African Media Barometer Mali

Even though Mali's 1992 constitution guarantees the freedom of expression and Mali also has broadcasting and print media laws, media freedom is in practice limited by national regulations, the current crisis and March 2013 coup. Similarly, although most international conventions on freedom of expression have been passed, their implementation is neglected.

The law also fails to protect confidential sources of information, limiting any investigative journalism and causing some journalist arrests. Further, the two regulatory bodies are far from independent, whilst the self-regulating body lacks resources. The national broadcaster also suffers from heavy state influence. Due to a limited advertising market, corrupt practices and a halving of the public media budget, private media is barely viable.

In terms of content, journalistic profession requirements are strict, yet not always followed and many Malian journalists prefer to cover information in their personal interest. This is often due to low salaries, lack of training institutions and aggravated by commonplace media monopolisation and self-censorship. Further, access to internet is limited by high costs, newspaper circulation remains low and coverage often cut off in the North.

Positive developments however have been the significant attempts to cover society in its diversity, an increasing variety of media outlets, and internet freedom. Finally, recent government crackdowns revived civil society support for the media, while journalist associations are showing promising signs of mobilisation and cooperation.