The press is controlled by the government, which funds nearly all newspapers, criticism of the president is forbidden, and state licensing policy effectively eliminates all outlets not reflecting official views.
[2] Reporters Without Borders' 2022 Press Freedom Index ranked Turkmenistan 177th out of 180 countries surveyed, ahead of Iran, Eritrea, and North Korea.
[3] It has consistently ranked at or near the bottom of most measures of press freedom since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Electronic copies of most state-published newspapers may be downloaded from the website of the State Printing Office Archived 2022-05-29 at the Wayback Machine.
[10] Turkmenistan broadcasts 8 public television channels (7 of them on the territory of the whole country, and 1 only in Ashgabat).
The channels also present informative and entertaining domestic programs and movies, as well as sports events in which Turkmen athletes participate.
[23] The state-owned enterprise Turkmen Telekom operates cable TV activities in the country.