The media of Mauritania is undergoing a shift into a freer journalistic environment, while becoming increasingly open to private sector. Journalists are experiencing a period of relative freedom following the coup of 2005, which ended a military dictatorship. The laws governing media are the most liberal in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. As of 2010, Reporters Without Borders ranked Mauritania 99 out of 178 in its worldwide index of press freedom.