Ethiopia’s parliament has ratified an amendment to the country’s Mass Media Proclamation that dramatically reshapes how the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) is governed. The changes transfer nomination powers for the EMA’s leadership to the executive, strip away transparency and conflict-of-interest safeguards from board appointments, and consolidate licensing and disciplinary powers within the Authority itself, effectively hollowing out institutional checks designed to protect regulatory independence. Taken together with an intensifying pattern of arrests, raids, and threats against reporters, the legal changes mark a decisive shift that risks transforming the regulator from a potential defender of media pluralism into an instrument of state control. The mechanics of capture Before the amendment, the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR) appointed the EMA’s director general through a public nomination process that include reserved seats for civil-society and media representatives, as well as a ban on political-party membership for board members. Under the new framework, the

On October 16, 2017, investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack outside her home in Bidnija. Her assassination shocked Europe and exposed the fragility of press freedom in Malta. For many Maltese journalists, Daphne’s death was not only a tragedy but a turning point, one that opened a window to demand protection, accountability, and structural reform to guarantee the safety of the independent press. Eight years later, her name continues to inspire calls to accountability. Now, international press freedom groups are urging Malta to take that next step: to adopt a National Action Plan on Media Freedom and Journalist Safety. This proposal, put forward by 18 organizations, including the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), aims to translate years of consultation into concrete policy. Media Landscape Malta’s media environment is small and highly concentrated. The Public

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the country’s media landscape has collapsed. Once home to a vibrant independent press that reached millions of readers, Afghanistan now faces a systematic campaign to silence dissent and turn journalism into a tool of state propaganda. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Taliban has banned, suspended, or shuttered hundreds of independent outlets, while those that remain are tightly controlled. Authorities reject any news or opinion that deviates from their interpretation of “truth,” punishing even personal commentary as propaganda. Meanwhile, the Taliban has built a media empire that spreads its radical Islamist ideology across television, radio, newspapers, and digital platforms such as YouTube, X, and Telegram. Journalists as suspects and spies Afghan journalists face relentless intimidation. Taliban agents monitor everything posted online and detain those who violate their stringent interpretation of Sharia law, which bans music, soap