Media in Libya

Libyan media uses the local terms الإعلام, الصحافة, وسائل الإعلام, الإعلام المرئي والمسموع and الإعلام الإلكتروني. People receive information through newspapers, electronic news sites, LANA, private portals, television, satellite services, mobile internet and social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Television remains widely accessible: historical mapping identified two public channels and about 20 private channels, while more than 95% of households were reported to have television and about 90% to rely only on free-to-air satellite reception. An up-to-date official broadcaster census is not available. Streaming is more fragmented and often informal. A 2019 estimate counted about 300,000 pay-TV or video-on-demand subscriptions, with beIN and OSN accounting for about 98% of those subscriptions. Infrastructure limits and piracy affect access, and current platform lists, prices and youth-protection standards are not consistently documented. Internet use was reported at 88% in Libya's latest ITU country point for 2022, while a UNESCO mapping recorded 46.2% in January 2021; these figures use different measurements and do not establish a reliable trend. The Constitutional Declaration recognizes freedom of opinion, expression, communication, press, printing, publication and mass media in Article 14, subject to law. Article 13 protects the confidentiality of communications and allows control only under a reasoned judicial order and for a limited period. Article 6 provides general protection for children and young people, while Article 35 keeps older laws in force unless they conflict with the declaration. Law No. 76 of 1972 remains the main identified publication law, although its rules are outdated and do not provide a modern framework for audiovisual technology. Cabinet Decision No. 752 of 2021 created the الهيئة العامة لرصد المحتوى الإعلامي, commonly rendered as the General Media Content Monitoring Authority, to monitor professional violations, hate speech and false or misleading news. Its structure includes an Evaluation Council and the Akdli verification platform. Decision No. 4 of 2022 introduced a 17-principle Code of Professional Media Conduct. Decision No. 811 of 2022 set conditions for media activity and private channels, including confirmation by the authority after signing the code, but nationwide implementation has not been established. The General Press Authority, LANA, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, the Ministry of Youth and the Libyan Radio and Television Corporation are among the bodies connected with media functions. Decision No. 116 of 2021 dissolved the Libyan Media Corporation and assigned public television, LANA and the General Press Authority to the Council of Ministers, while assigning other channels to ministries or a religious authority. LANA staff later claimed affiliation with the House of Representatives under Law No. 8 of 2021, leaving parallel legitimacy and responsibility claims. Journalists and outlets face political pressure, censorship, restricted information access, threats, abduction, online abuse and self-censorship. A 2025 UNSMIL dialogue involved 31 journalists from eastern, western and southern Libya and recorded concerns about political influence and safety. Some outlets receive financing from external actors, political parties or armed groups, which can limit editorial independence. Training, the professional code, Basirah and UNSMIL provide non-formal support, while a unified national journalists' union was still being sought. Social media supports information, public debate, oversight and peacebuilding but also enables disinformation, hate speech and reputational attacks. Women journalists face additional gender-based online threats. The Youth Channel, قناة الشبابية, is linked to the Ministry of Youth and resumed activity in 2022 after an 11-year interruption, but its continuity and current live availability remain uncertain. No reliable nationwide media-literacy, complaints or child-protection practice has been established. Advertising rules also matter: the Ministry of Health must register and approve medicine advertising, while Health Law No. 106 of 1973 and Executive Regulation No. 654 of 1975, Article 541, prohibit medicine advertising in newspapers and other media except in scientific or medical specialist journals. No dependable national schedule of subscription prices, licence fees, accreditation charges or processing times is available. Access and institutional responsibility should therefore be checked for the relevant region, provider and type of media activity.