Mali media guide

Image source, Getty Images

Mali's jihadist insurgency and the military-led government have degraded media freedoms.

Militant groups threaten journalists and target media outlets. Pro-junta groups have demanded "patriotic journalism", leading to self-censorship.

Radio is the leading medium. There are hundreds of stations, operated by private and community broadcasters and by the state-run Office de Radiodiffusion-Television du Mali (ORTM). The 大象传媒 broadcasts in Bamako (88.9 FM).

The TV sector is much smaller.

Almost all daily and weekly newspapers publish from Bamako. Circulation figures are low. L'Essor is the leading title.

There were 12.4 million internet uses by December 2021, comprising 59% of the population (Internetworldstats.com). The regime has not interfered with internet or social media access.

Social media use is concentrated in the cities and among young people. Facebook is the top platform.

Press/Online

  • - state-owned daily
  • Le Republican - private daily
  • - private daily
  • Les Echos - private daily
  • - private daily
  • - news portal
  • - news website
  • - news website
  • - news website
  • - regional website based in Bamako, launched in 2014 with backing from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) focuses on news in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali

Television

  • - public, operates ORTM TV and TM2, programmes in French and local languages
  • - privately-owned pan-African TV, based in Bamako

Radio

  • - public network of national and regional stations
  • - operated by UN's MINUSMA mission
  • Radio Bamakan - community station, Bamako
  • Radio Liberte - private, Bamako
  • - private, Bamako
  • Radio Kayira - private, Bamako

News agency

  • - Agence Malienne de Presse