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Entity Type: Domestic State-Affiliated Media

Khovar News Agency

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Khovar News Agency, officially known as the National Information Agency of Tajikistan, was established on December 31, 1925, during the period of the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The agency functions as Tajikistan’s state news agency, publishing content in Tajik, Russian, English, Arabic, and Persian languages. On April 30, 2004, a governmental decree designated Khovar as the central state information body with official authorization to collect and distribute information about the president, Supreme Assembly, and government activities. The agency also operates Radio Khovar FM, which started broadcasting in 2011.

Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation

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Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), operating as Radio Pakistan, serves as Pakistan’s largest state media network under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with approximately 80 broadcasting units housed in 32 broadcasting houses across the country. The corporation reaches 96 percent of Pakistan’s population and covers 90 percent of the nation’s territory through its extensive AM, SW, and FM stations, broadcasting in 29 national, regional, local and foreign languages with 119 daily news bulletins totaling 684 minutes. Established under the PBC Act-1973, the network functions as the government’s primary medium for disseminating policy initiatives while promoting Pakistan as a progressive Islamic democracy. PBC maintains significant digital presence with over 2.5 million Facebook followers, active Twitter and Instagram accounts, and a YouTube channel, positioning itself as the “Voice of Pakistan” both domestically and internationally.

Radio Television Senegalaise

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Radio Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS) is Senegal’s principal public media organization, operating five television channels (RTS1-RTS5) and nine radio stations covering national, international, and regional audiences. RTS was established under Law No. 92-02 of 1992, replacing the former state broadcaster ORTS, which had operated since 1973. The broadcaster operates under the Ministry of Culture and Communication, with governance resting with a 12-member Management Council representing various government ministries. The Director General is appointed by the President of Senegal. Pape Alé Niang became Director General on April 24, 2024, replacing Racine Talla. RTS receives funding through license fees collected via electricity bills, state subsidies, and advertising revenues, with an estimated annual budget of XOF 11.3 billion (approximately US$20.8 million). The broadcaster’s editorial stance reflects its close government relationship, with no formal legal framework guaranteeing editorial independence.

Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

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Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the country’s national news agency, was launched on January 1, 1972. The Dhaka bureau of the Associated Press of Pakistan was turned into the national news agency of the new country following the Bangladesh Liberation War. Beginning with a small staff in the head office in Dhaka and a bureau in Chittagong, BSS now has bureaus in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Bagura, Khulna, Barishal, Rangamati, and Sylhet, with correspondents in all 64 administrative districts. The agency functions almost around the clock to disseminate national, international, political, economic, development, and other news to nearly 50 subscribers across the country. BSS subscribes to international wire services AFP and exchanges news with Press Trust of India, Associated Press of Pakistan, Xinhua, Bernama of Malaysia, and TransData of Australia, and introduced a Bangla news service in 1999.

SOPECAM

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SOPECAM (Société de Presse et d’Éditions du Cameroun/Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation) is Cameroon’s state-owned media corporation established in 1974. The corporation publishes multiple media outlets, including its flagship Cameroon Tribune bilingual daily newspaper, Cameroon Business Today, Cameroon Insider (an English-language publication launched in 2019), and magazines Nyanga and Weekend Sports et Loisirs. SOPECAM operates through regional agencies across Cameroon’s ten regions and has modernized its operations with digital platforms and online subscriptions. Led by General Manager Marie-Claire Nnana since 2002, the corporation transformed from a government enterprise to a public capital company in 2017. Beyond publishing, SOPECAM organizes initiatives like the CBT Champions Awards to promote youth entrepreneurship and “Made in Cameroon” products.

Malaysian National News Agency

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The Malaysian National News Agency, or Bernama, is Malaysia’s official government news agency established under the Bernama Act 1967 and commenced operations on May 20, 1968. Operating as an autonomous statutory body under the Ministry of Communications, Bernama provides real-time news and information services in multiple languages including Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil, Spanish, and Arabic. Bernama maintains branches in every Malaysian state and international correspondents and stringers across ASEAN countries, the United States, United Kingdom, West Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Beyond its wire service, Bernama operates its own 24-hour radio and television channels and has launched digital media platforms. The agency recently began utilising AI technology to enhance news delivery and multimedia content production.

RT

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RT, formerly Russia Today, is a Russian state-controlled international news network funded by the Russian government. Launched in 2005, RT operates channels in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Spanish, French, and German. The network has been widely described as a propaganda outlet for the Russian government, with Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor-in-chief, once comparing it to Russia’s Ministry of Defense and stating it was “waging an information war” against the West. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, RT was banned throughout the European Union, while platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Microsoft restricted its content. RT has been repeatedly found by regulators to broadcast “materially misleading” information and has been ordered to register as a foreign agent in the United States.

Radiotelevisione Italiana

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Radiotelevisione Italiana, or RAI, is Italy’s state-owned public broadcaster founded in 1924 as Unione Radiofonica Italiana (URI) and becoming “RAI” in 1944. The group operates the nation’s largest television and radio network with a more than 30 percent market share, competing directly with the Mediaset empire of former Italian president Silvio Berlusconi. Headquartered at 14 Viale Giuseppe Mazzini in Rome, the company is 99 percent owned by Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, funding operations through broadcast license fees and advertising revenue. RAI’s programming reaches beyond Italy’s borders into neighboring European countries, Albania, Tunisia and beyond via satellite, while its management and board are elected by Parliament every three years, ensuring close ties between the broadcaster and Italy’s ruling political majority.

Tanjug News Agency

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Tanjug News Agency, founded on November 5, 1943, as Yugoslavia’s official state news agency, operated under government control until 2015 when authorities announced its closure and officially stopped funding it. Despite this announcement, the agency continued functioning in what it is described as a “legal vacuum” with funds from undisclosed sources. In 2021, the Belgrade-based private company Tacno acquired rights to Tanjug’s intellectual property and trademarks for a 10-year period. Tacno is owned by Radoica Milosavljevic of RTV Pancevo, characterized as “an openly pro-government station,” and Minacord Media. Local journalists interviewed in 2023 and 2024 claimed the government continued financing aspects of the agency’s operations despite denials from both Tanjug and state authorities. Critics characterized the agency as “notorious for its government-supportive content,” with its editorial policy reportedly unchanged following privatization.