CHAPTER 4: AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER THEMATIC TRENDS: 2011-2021 4. African Media Barometer Thematic Trends: 2011-2021 Generally, the AMBs published between 2011 and 2021 show that almost all national constitutions have freedom of expression provisions, with some countries also making specific provisions for freedom of the press. However, this broad constitutional provision is often undermined by pullback conditions in the same constitutions, and in some cases, by restrictive media and non-media laws. Most countries do not have legal provisions for access to information. This is a persistent problem around which most governments do not seem to have urgent redemptive action and interventions. Countries that still need to enact access to information legislation include Mali (2021 AMB), Senegal (2018 AMB), Namibia (2018 AMB), Botswana (2020 AMB), Madagascar (2019 AMB), Cameroon (2018 AMB), Burkina Faso (2019 AMB), Eswatini (2018 AMB), Togo (2021 AMB) and Malawi (2016 AMB).1 Regarding the media landscape, most countries seem to have a fair degree of pluralism. However, this does not always translate to significant diversity in news content and subjects. The general trend is that pluralism is primarily evident in print media, although some countries have also significantly opened the broadcast sector. For instance, the 2012 AMB for Mali shows that the country had 250 newspapers and over 300 private radio stations. However, subsequent AMBs for Mali (2016, 2021) show a decline in newspaper numbers due to economic factors and an exponential increase in broadcast services, particularly radio and digital platforms. In 2021, Mali had more than 400 radio stations, 235 newspapers and 100 online 1 6 Mali has no specific law on access to information, yet access to information is guaranteed by Act N° 98 - 012 of 19 January 1998. Madagascar has no specific law that guarantees access to information but the Malagasy Charter on Access to Information and Knowledge Sharing is a non-binding text that has been implemented by the Committee for the Safeguarding of Integrity (CSI). Burkina Faso has a law on access to public information and administrative documents adopted in 2015 (Law No. 0512015/CNT) which is not enforced due to the absence of an enforcement decree. Eswatini’s government released a draft Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Bill in 2007, but it had not been passed into law in 2018. In Togo the law on Freedom of Access to Information, adopted in 2016, is not fully implemented because the President of the Republic has not yet signed its implementing decree. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER 11 YEARS IN REVIEW