Many developing countries have a rapidly growing online news industry.  Controlling for the number of internet users, hosts, and print newspapers,  which countries have a surprisingly large online news industry?

In some countries, journalists and pundits are unable to report the news in traditional print or broadcast media, and have turned to the Internet.  In other countries, news is generated by online journalists who write for a national audience, but write from abroad where they can be safe.1

There are several factors that can explain why a country’s news industry might grow online.  Countries that have a lot of internet users, where the cost of running a traditional print or broadcast media is high, can be expected to have a significant online news industry.  At the same time, countries without a tradition of independent media, or slow Internet connections, may be less likely to have an online news industry.  

Researchers  looked at 100 countries, and compared them on four features.

  1. Internet users per capita
  2. Online newspapers per capita
  3. Online newspapers per daily print newspaper
  4. Daily newspapers per capita

The countries with the largest online news industry are said to be those with a relatively high daily print newspaper industry, a larger proportion of internet users per capita, a larger proportion of online newspapers per capita, and a larger proportion of online newspapers per daily newspaper.2

In the developing world, the countries with relatively large online news industries (top quartile in multiple factors) include Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Lebanon, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Turkey and the Ukraine.

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  1. Staff Research. (2006). World Information Access Report. Seattle, WA: World Information Access Project, Department of Communication, University of Washington. [back]
  2. Download WIA graphic: bottom two quartiles, top two quartiles. [back]