🇨🇮 Fraternité Matin

About Fraternité Matin

Fraternité Matin is a state-controlled Ivorian daily newspaper, founded on December 9, 1964, by the then-President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. It is owned and published by the Société Nouvelle de Presse et d'Édition de Côte d'Ivoire (SNPECI), which is a state-owned entity.

While Fraternité Matin describes itself as 'neither neutral nor partisan,' it is widely regarded as a 'pure and hard governmental organ' since its inception. Freedom House reports indicate that most national media in Côte d'Ivoire, particularly newspapers, exhibit partisanship, consistently favoring either the government or the opposition. Although press conditions have improved since the 2010-11 conflict, journalists in Côte d'Ivoire still face intimidation and occasional violence from security forces, with many arrests and detentions reported during the 2020 election period. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted a decline in press freedom in the country, and the outlet itself faced significant layoffs in 2018 due to financial difficulties.