Freedom of the Press - Tuvalu (2006)

Status: Free
Legal Environment: 3
Political Influences: 11
Economic Pressures: 12
Total Score: 26

Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 64
Religious Groups: Church of Tuvalu [Congregationalist] (97 percent), other (3 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Polynesian (96 percent), Micronesian (4 percent)
Capital: Funafuti

While freedom of the press is guaranteed in the constitution, government regulation of print and broadcast content and a monopoly on the small media market occasionally limit these rights in practice. The Tuvalu Media Corporation (TMC), established in 1999, is a public corporation that receives a majority of its funding from the state and is chaired by the secretary to the government. There are no independent media, and the TMC controls the country's only newspaper and radio station, censoring content considered to be in opposition to the government. Local broadcast news is limited, but BBC programs are rebroadcast, and international television broadcasts are available by satellite. The Tuvaluan government continues to profit from selling its internet suffix (.tv) to a California company, which in turn has allowed the government to invest in building roads and schools and has funded its UN membership.