Status: Free
Legal Environment: 1
Political Influences: 6
Economic Pressures: 12
Total Score: 19
Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 66
Religious Groups: Church of Tuvalu [Congregationalist] (97 percent), other (3 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Polynesian (96 percent), Micronesian (4 percent)
Capital: Funafuti
The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press, but the media market is very small. The government publishes biweekly the only newspaper, Tuvalu Echoes. The single, government-owned, television station went off the air in 2001 for financial reasons but resumed sporadically in 2002. All copy to be aired on Radio Tuvalu, which is now run as a public corporation, must be approved by the Secretary to Government. He has reportedly occasionally blocked or delayed stories that are favorable to the political opposition. Many residents use satellite dishes to receive foreign programs, and Internet access is available.
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