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Report
Radio Erena: Eritrea's only independent media faces funding challenges
FRANCE 24 English
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11/12/2024
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News
Transcript
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00:00
The voice of hope lives hidden away in a tiny Paris apartment.
00:05
These are the headquarters of Radio Arena, the last independent Eritrean media still
00:10
broadcasting.
00:12
After 15 years of providing trustworthy and independent reporting to people in one of
00:17
the world's most repressive countries, the radio station risks going off air for lack
00:22
of funding.
00:24
In Eritrea in 2001, the Eritrean government decided to close all the media, private media.
00:31
So at some point, we only hear the government's voice, which is merely propaganda.
00:37
So we want to hear the voice of the public.
00:40
A 2017 study estimated that around half a million people tune in to listen at least
00:46
once a week.
00:48
So we prefer to stay on satellite, so it would be easily accessible for the public
00:53
and for us, reliable.
00:57
In 2024, the country was ranked last in Reporters Without Borders' Freedom of the Press Index.
01:03
The country is notorious for detaining journalists longer than any country in the world.
01:08
There are countries where it is difficult to be a journalist.
01:14
In Eritrea, there is no journalism.
01:16
The oldest journalists have been in prison since 2001.
01:19
There is no media.
01:20
The only outlets that remain are state-affiliated outlets that are content to carry out propaganda.
01:26
Although thousands of cyber-attacks target the radio station, the Arena team has continued
01:31
to broadcast.
01:33
Despite their resilience, a drastic drop in funding from their supporters might take them
01:37
off the air, which would bring an information blackout in one of the world's most repressive
01:42
countries.
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