Somalia media guide

In Somalia, journalists regularly face harassment, arbitrary detention, suspension, fines, and threats of violence.

In 2020, the president signed amendments to the media law that included protections for journalists' rights but also featured vaguely worded provisions criminalizing the dissemination of "false information," and reports that conflict with the "national interest," according to Freedom House.

The law grants the Ministry of Information broad powers to regulate the media.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says that Somalia is "considered one of the most hostile environments for the press". It says the militant group Al-Shabab is suspected in the majority of media murders. Journalists and media outlets complain about intimidation at the hands of state security agencies.