The media in Cyprus functions freely and independently without intervention or control by any state authority. Freedom of the press is enshrined in the Republic's constitution which stipulates that, "Every person has the right to freedom of speech and expression in any form.
The first Cypriot newspaper was circulated on 29 August 1878 under the name “Cyprus” (Kypros). It was published both in Greek and in English. The first Turkish Cypriot newspaper was circulated on 11 July 1889 under the name “Sadet” (Hope). Curren.
The Cyprus News Agency (CNA) is an independent and autonomous corporation functioning under the Cyprus News Agency Law. The Agency is governed by a seven-member Board composed mainly of journalists representing the Union of Journalists, the Publishers' Association, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the Press and Information Office and the Ministry of Interior.
The independent radio came into being in 1990 and the first independent television channels started broadcasting in 1993 after legislation had been passed de-regulating the sector. Until then, there was only one television and radio channel, the single public service channel (Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation – CyBC). .
The Press and Information Office (PIO) is a government department under the Ministry of Interior, which has been assigned the responsibility of publicising and promoting government policy as well as the work of the Government, the House of Representatives, the Judiciary, the semi-governmental organisations and independent bodies.