Media freedom worldwide is at its lowest level in the past 25 years, according to its regular report by the international NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
In more than half of the 180 countries monitored, the situation for the media is considered difficult or very serious, mainly due to the expansion of restrictive laws. Slovakia ranks 37th, one place higher than last year.
“Although the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico deliberately creates a hostile political environment for journalists, press freedom is supported by the legal framework and the economic sustainability of the media. The instigator of the murder of Ján Kuciak and his partner in 2018 has not yet been convicted,” RSF says about the situation in Slovakia. The organization adds that private TV station Markíza faces political pressure, and several experienced reporters have left to start a new media outlet. Public broadcaster RTVS was replaced by a new entity, STVR, which, according to RSF, gave the government an opportunity to interfere in the station’s management and independence.
The newspaper Nový čas was acquired by the Penta group, which now owns the two largest tabloid newspapers in Slovakia. Despite this, RSF says Slovakia has a strong tradition of investigative journalism present in several newspapers and online media.
Among neighboring countries, the Czech Republic (11th), Austria (19th), and Poland (27th) rank better than Slovakia. Ukraine (55th) and Hungary (74th) rank worse. “Authoritarian states, complicit or incompetent political forces, predatory economic actors, and poorly regulated online platforms bear direct and full responsibility for the global decline in press freedom,” said RSF director Anne Bocandé in the report.
Of the five indicators used to evaluate media freedom—economic, legal, safety, political, and social conditions—legal conditions worsened the most this year. Only seven countries were classified as having a “good” environment for journalists, together home to just one percent of the global population. According to RSF, this year saw the sharpest global decline due to changes in countries’ legal environments, as journalism is increasingly restricted by laws under the pretext of combating terrorism or protecting national security.
Norway has remained at the top of the index for the tenth consecutive year, followed by countries such as the Netherlands and Estonia. The first 19 countries in the index are all in Europe. At the opposite end are Eritrea, North Korea, and China. Russia ranked 172nd, Germany 14th, the United Kingdom 18th, France 25th, and Italy 56th. Countries with a significant decline in media freedom in this year’s ranking include the United States, which dropped seven places to 64th during President Donald Trump’s administration. Latin American countries also saw major declines, especially Ecuador and Peru.
Syria improved the most over the past year, rising from 177th to 141st place. By contrast, Niger fell by 37 places to 120th.
Source: STVR
