Ethiopian officials have indefinitely halted the operating licence of The Reporter, a prominent independent print and digital news publication, citing content that allegedly conflicts with national interests. The move marks another setback for press freedom in the country.
Africa’s second most populated country, home to roughly 130 million residents, currently stands at 148th out of 180 nations on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom index.
The Reporter “has been ordered to remain fully suspended from publication and broadcasting indefinitely, effective Monday, November 2, 2026, until legal and professional ethical obligations are fully met,” stated the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) in a Facebook post.
According to the EMA, the decision stems from the publication “repeatedly disseminating content that contradicts Ethiopia’s national interests” while circulating slanted information that negatively impacts foreign investment, tourism, and diplomatic relations. The regulator further claimed the outlet produced “unbalanced and biased” coverage.
Operating in both Amharic and English across print and digital platforms, The Reporter stands as one of the few remaining independent news organizations in the nation.
This action follows a pattern of increasing media restrictions. In February, Ethiopian authorities stripped the licence of Addis Standard, another independent publication, which is currently appealing the measure. Additionally, a foreign correspondent for the French newspaper La Croix was deported in June.
Data from RSF indicates that five media workers are presently imprisoned in Ethiopia. Four of these journalists have been detained for nearly three years under terrorism charges carrying potential death sentences, though capital punishment is seldom carried out in the country.
