East Timor media guide

Image source, Getty Images

The country's media are among the freest in the region. There are many publications in Tetum, Portuguese and even English. Radio Televisaun Timor Leste is the main broadcaster.

There are a handful of daily and weekly press titles but a low rate of literacy combined with the cost of newspapers compared to average incomes, limits readership outside the capital, Dili.

Radio is the most popular medium and there are several community radios on air.

While media freedom is constitutionally protected, says US-based Freedom House, domestic media outlets are vulnerable to political pressure and self-censorship due to the small media market with limited nongovernmental sources of support.

大象传媒 World Service broadcasts in Dili on 95.3 FM. There are FM relays of Portuguese and Australian radio.

There were 515,000 internet users by July 2022, comprising 37% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).

Press/Online

  • - daily
  • Diario Nacional - daily
  • Timor Post - daily
  • - daily
  • - pages in English
  • Tempo Semanal - free newspaper
  • - weekly

Television

  • - public

Radio

  • - public
  • Radio Maubere - run by Fretilin party
  • Radio Timor Kmanek (RTK) - Catholic Church radio