​MOLDOVA DROPS THREE POSITIONS IN PRESS FREEDOM RATING

Moldova was ranked 31st out of 180 countries in the annual press freedom ranking calculated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), down three positions compared to 2023. In 2022 Moldova was ranked 40th.

INFOTAG reports that in their study, the experts note that while some media outlets in Moldova “risk taking on issues that are inconvenient for the authorities, many limit themselves to following the political agenda of the party to which they belong.”

“The state of emergency imposed due to Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine was used by the Moldovan authorities to suspend the licenses of several TV stations ahead of the 2023 elections without proper transparency of the grounds for such a decision. Rapid and non-transparent changes in the legislation to block the channels whose license was suspended are a cause for concern,” the report says.

Its authors note that “faced with a difficult economic situation and weakened by the collapse of the advertising market due to the war in Ukraine, independent media are experiencing a lack of resources and financial difficulties.”

“Moldovan journalists risk being insulted and intimidated by politicians. Their supporters sometimes resort to cyber harassment of reporters they consider hostile to their ideas. Journalists' access to Transnistria, a separatist eastern province backed by Russia, is subject to special accreditation,” they said.

Norway, Denmark and Sweden lead the ranking, followed by Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea. Romania is ranked 49th, Ukraine 61st and Russia 162nd.