IREX’s Media Sustainability Index (MSI) provides in-depth analyses of the conditions for independent media in countries across the world. The MSI in Europe and Eurasia provides depth of information about the state of the media in 21 countries from Croatia to Kazakhstan. Local media professionals offer an inside view of the barriers they face in their day-to-day work. In particular this year, they pointed to the rise of shady websites pushing fake news and inadequate media literacy among the audience as key impediments keeping quality news and information from creating accountability of political forces that are attempting to prevent or roll back democratic gains.