PRISTINA, 21.04.2020 – The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) expresses concern over the findings of the organization “Reporters Without Borders”, on the state of media freedom in Kosovo, in the report published for 2020.
Kosovo ranks 70th in the world in terms of press freedom but despite progress in five positions, compared to 2019, the AJK considers that the report reflects the real, unsatisfactory state of media freedom in Kosovo.
The report highlights the continuing instability of the media, where, like almost everything else in the country, it remains divided along ethnic lines. The report notes that access to information is often limited to one ethnic or political group, with most media outlets reporting mainly on issues related to their nationality. Some of the common concerns, according to the report, are physical and verbal attacks on journalists, cyber attacks on online media, and a lack of transparency regarding media ownership.
According to the Reporters Without Borders index, many media outlets in Kosovo do not have financial sustainability, which makes them sensitive to political influences, and this often results in self-censorship. They are on the verge of extinction, surviving largely on foreign donations. The report concludes that so far, the fates of numerous journalists in Kosovo remain unknown to date, including those journalists who went missing or were abducted during the 1999 conflict.
AJK estimates that the findings of this report should be an alarm for the country’s institutions in order to create a better and safer environment for journalism.
The 2020 World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the situation for journalists in 180 countries worldwide, warns that the next decade will be decisive for the future of journalism, due to the Covid-19 pandemic that will produce many crises that threaten the right to free reporting, independent, diverse and credible information.
According to the Index, from the countries of the region, BiH is ranked 59th, Albania – 84th, Northern Macedonia – 92nd, Serbia – 93rd, and Montenegro -105th.