The government owns all national broadcast media outlets, and the private owners of Bahrain's main newspapers have close ties to the state – they all follow a pro-government editorial line.
A rare critical voice, Al-Wasat newspaper, was shut down in 2017. An opposition satellite station, Lualua TV, operates from London.
Self-censorship is encouraged by vaguely worded laws allowing the state to imprison journalists for criticizing the king or Islam or for threatening national security, says the NGP Freedom House.
Reporters Without Borders has said that Bahrain is "notorious" for jailing journalists and that reporters working for international media have faced problems renewing their accreditation.
There is an advanced telecommunication sector. Bahrain has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the Arab world. There were 1.8 million internet users by July 2022, so more than 100% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).
The authorities closely monitor online activity. Dozens of bloggers and social media activists have been detained or jailed for their internet activities. Freedom House has said the government blocks access to hundreds of websites.
BBC World Service is on FM in Manama (101.0 in English; 103.8 in Arabic).
Media guides by BBC Monitoring, external
Akhbar al-Khaleej, external – daily
Al-Ayam, external – daily
Gulf Daily News, external – English-language
Al-Bilad, external – daily
Al-Watan, external – Sunni
The Daily Tribune, external – English-language
Gulf Weekly, external – English-language
Bahrain TV, external – flagship state network, one of six stations run by the Ministry of Information Affairs
Al-Maaref, external – private, Shia religious satellite station
LuaLua TV, external – pro-opposition, London-based. It has faced deliberate attempts to jam its broadcasts
Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation, external (BRTC) – state-run; operates several networks including Radio Bahrain in Arabic and English
Sawt al-Ghad, external – private
Bahrain News Agency (BNA), external – state-run, English-language pages
Bahrain Mirror, external – opposition-leaning news website
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