Report shows decline in media freedom in the Balkans

Media freedom in the Balkans is in decline, according to a report published today by watchdog Freedom House.

According to the report, media liberty in the region in general is declining and described as “Partly Free”, while the media in Macedonia has been dubbed “Not Free”.

The annual Freedom of the Press report gives each of the 199 countries included a numerical score from 0 (best) to 100 (worst), based on the legal, political and economic factors that impact access to news and information.

Romania gained the best score in the region with 38 points, followed by Bulgaria with 40 and Montenegro with 41. At the far end of the scale was Macedonia, which scored 62 points.

Serbia and Macedonia were also included on the list of 19 countries where media freedoms declined fastest over the last year, gaining five and four points respectively.

The report lays blame for the decline of press freedom in Serbia at the feet of the government, citing its “hostile rhetoric toward investigative journalists, reported censorship of journalists and media outlets, and a decrease in the availability of critical, independent reporting”.

“Macedonia [press freedom] declined due to revelations indicating large-scale and illegal government wiretapping of journalists, corrupt ties between officials and media owners, and an increase in threats and attacks on media workers,” the report stated.

In addition, Freedom House noted a general rise in violence against journalists across the region, including physical assaults and death threats in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. The trends recorded across the region are seen to be part of a broader global trend of declining media freedom.

The full Freedom of the Press 2016 report can be found here.

Source: Balkan Insight