Liberia media guide

A man sells newspapers with headlines featuring the recent presidential elections on December 29, 2017 on a roadside in Monrovia.Getty Images

Liberia has seen a growth in the media sector since the mid-2000s, helped by the country's political stability that flourished in the aftermath of its civil wars.

However, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says that attacks on journalists continue. While the constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press, these rights are sometimes restricted in practice.

NGO Freedom House says that President Weah has previously taken an adversarial stance toward some media outlets, "denouncing 'fake news' that purportedly threatened national stability".

Though the 2019 Press Freedom Act effectively decriminalized libel, sedition and criminal malevolence, defamation remains a civil offence. Self-censorship is fairly widespread.

Low literacy rates and distribution problems place limits on newspaper readership. Around a dozen titles publish regularly.

Most media outlets are not self-sustaining and rely on government advertising or support from politicians and international donors, says Freedom House.

There are more than 40 newspapers and magazines, and some 130 radio station - radio is the main news source. There are a few TV stations, including a network run by state broadcaster LBS.

BBC World Service broadcasts in Monrovia on 103.1 FM.

There were 784,000 internet users by December 2021, comprising 14% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).

Press

Television

  • Clar TV - private

  • Power TV - private

  • DC TV - private

  • Real TV - private

  • Liberian Broadcasting System (LBS) - state-owned

Radio

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