Media in Comoros

Al-Watwan is a central newspaper and crisis-information source, with print and online activity. ORTC provides public radio and television through terrestrial digital broadcasting, satellite distribution and online channels including its website, YouTube and Facebook. Private and community radio and television also exist, although a complete public directory is not available. Online media and social networks are established, but internet use reached only 32.5% in 2024, which limits equal access across islands and households. In 2025, ANRTIC assigned 5G frequencies to YAS Comores and Comores Télécom. Basic ORTC and online content is generally available without a subscription fee, but users still pay for internet data, devices and electricity; no consolidated official consumer tariff list is available. A locally verified paid video-on-demand service has not been identified. Global streaming services depend on internet access, and their local availability and prices have not been fully verified. CNPA, the Conseil national de la presse et de l'audiovisuel, is the independent administrative body for media oversight. It handles declarations and authorisations, coordinates frequency matters with ANRTIC, supports pluralism, protects journalists and receives complaints from citizens, professionals and institutions. CNPA accreditation or authorisation may apply to media activity, but public information does not provide a complete schedule of fees or processing times. The 2026 press and audiovisual code covers digital media and sets standards for verification, accuracy, protection of sources, the presumption of innocence, replies to published claims and journalist press cards. It also recognises freedom of the press and audiovisual communication while limiting content that harms human dignity, privacy, children, national unity, security or territorial integrity, or promotes discrimination, hatred or violence. Advertising must be identifiable, and AI-generated or substantially altered material must be labelled. During election periods, media coverage must respect equality, neutrality and pluralism. The available research did not identify a separate freedom-of-information law. CNPA can impose graduated administrative sanctions, with a maximum reported amount of KMF 1,000,000, although complete procedural deadlines are not publicly documented. Children's protection rules cover age-appropriate content, warnings for sensitive programmes and the separation of advertising from editorial or children's material. A complete public age-rating system, standard parental-control model and nationwide media-literacy programme have not been documented. Users can submit complaints to CNPA. Media proposals may be submitted through Comores Médias, but CNPA authorisation is required; the platform's national aggregation service remains under validation, with a planned mix of radio and television live streams and filters for island, type and language. Media-literacy and awareness work was reported in Moroni in 2026. Al-Watwan has also supported disaster-risk communication and young reporters in cooperation with civil-protection services. Journalists and publishers should account for defamation risks, intimidation and self-censorship documented by international reviews, including reports that four journalists were arrested in 2023 and one received a nine-month suspended sentence. Current enforcement under the 2026 code should therefore be monitored.