Americas
Belize
-
Index 2024
54/ 180
Score : 66.85
Political indicator
76
51.57
Economic indicator
62
49.48
Legislative indicator
86
62.18
Social indicator
34
77.98
Security indicator
14
93.06
Index 2023
51/ 180
Score : 70.49
Political indicator
62
61.98
Economic indicator
54
53.92
Legislative indicator
66
68.11
Social indicator
46
79.55
Security indicator
27
88.89

Government administrations have pledged to maintain open relations with the press. However, media professionals feel there is a certain lack of transparency, even though technology has facilitated transmission. 

Media landscape

The media is very polarised, making the coverage of political news or criminal cases controversial. When covering news, some journalists generally show their allegiance to one of the two major political parties. The main non-partisan newspapers are Amandala and The Reporter. Channel 5 and Channel 7 are the two most-watched television networks.

Political context

Belize is a multi-party parliamentary monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth. The prime minister is the head of government and the governor general is the head of state who represents the British monarch. The country has enjoyed a fairly stable political life for four decades, with the two main political parties alternating their time in power fairly regularly. Crime and politics, widely covered in the media, are often sources of contention between the media and the government. Officials regularly accuse some media of resorting to “sensationalism” on these topics which they say jeopardizes the country’s major economic engine, tourism, by resorting to “sensationalism” on these topics.

Legal framework

Overly critical journalists, and media houses face state censorship by way of intimidation with threats of costly and lengthy defamation lawsuits.

Economic context

With no daily newspapers, the pool of media outlets is small, and of those considered mainstream, some are supportive of political parties, even when privately owned. Independent media are scarce and access to funding is limited. Most of the advertising funds that media publishers rely on come from the government and their distribution are often dependent on the party in power.

Sociocultural context

Formerly British Honduras, Belize gained independence in 1981. The country is relatively sparsely populated, with more than 400,000 inhabitants, but it has one of the highest homicide rates per capita in the world. Criminal affairs and political life are the two subjects most covered by the media.

Safety

Journalists are occasionally threatened, intimidated or harassed. In particular, those who cover the lower courts in criminal matters often face threats from the accused or their relatives over the publication of images and stories.

Abuses in real time in Belize

Killed since 1st January 2024
0 journalists
0 media workers
0
Detained as of today
0 journalists
0 media workers
0

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