12. 02. 2014

MEDIA FREEDOM: SERBIA ADVANCES FROM 63rd TO 54th PLACE

12.2.2014. (Tanjug) - PARIS - Serbia is 54th country in the international rankings for press freedom, ahead of Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders.

Our country has moved up on the Reporters Without Borders' list in comparison to last year's survey, when it was ranked 63rd on the list of 180 countries. Among former Yugoslav republics, Slovenia is in front of Serbia this year, holding the 34th place, while Croatia holds the 65th position, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is one place behind Croatia.

In the Index of Press Freedom in the world for 2014, Romania is 45th, Kosovo, which was analyzed separately from Serbia, is ranked 80th, Albania 85th, while Greece found itself in the 99th position, with Bulgaria immediately behind it. Montenegro takes the 114th place on the list, and Macedonia 124th.

The Paris-based group reports that in Croatia there is a lot to be done in the field of media freedom; state television HRT is criticized for its lack of independence after the reforms implemented under the mandate of the center-left Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and the political control of the ruling party over the broadcasting of information.

Although Macedonia is dedicated to reforms that should lead it to the path to EU membership, media freedom in the country is being significantly violated, with the arrest of investigative journalists, according to the Reporters Without Borders report, which ranked the former Yugoslav republic as 124th on the list, while it was in the 116th place last year.

Security of journalists remains a major concern in Montenegro, which occupies the 114th place - one place lower compared to last year, where independent journalists are victims not only of physical threats but also of campaigns of hatred and vulgar insults, according to the document, which calls the Balkans a "powder keg" for journalists.

When it comes to Albania, Reporters Without Borders assess that the media in the country is facing a new page with the change of government after the 2013 elections, and an ambitious program that provides for a law on improving the transparency of media ownership, strengthening the independence of the public service broadcaster and guarantees media access to information held by government entities.

Bulgaria, according to the latest Index of Press Freedom, is the lowest-ranked member of the EU, where journalists were often victims of political violence during the five month long protests of 2013 when the government was called to resign, and independent journalists, especially investigative reporters, have been subjected to harassment.

Reporters Without Borders estimate that the freedom of media is largely trampled on in Greece, which has fallen by more than 50 places on the Index within just five years. Many journalists in the country are unemployed due to the economic crisis, and reporters who cover the frequent street protests against austerity measures are often victims of police violence and attack by protesters.

The Reporters Without Borders' report reminds that last year was a turning point in the history of the Greek media, when in June Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, under pressure to reduce the budget deficit, made an unprecedented decision in EU member states to close down national public broadcaster ERT, made up of four TV stations and five radio stations.