Self-Regulation in Armenia’s Press Major Challenge that Needs to be Tackled: Report

Reporters without Borders ranked Armenia 77 out of 179 countries in its recently released 10th annual press freedom index. Compared to the 2010–2011 Press Freedom Index, Armenia moved up 24 places and among CIS countries, falls behind only Molodova at 53rd place.

On the section on Armenia, the report reads:

“Armenia’s 24-place rise in the index seems spectacular, but in fact it has just gone back to where it was three years ago, before the brutal crackdown after the disputed 2008 elections. The media are nonetheless subject to constant judicial harassment and the size of the damages demanded in lawsuits is intimidating. Self-regulation is a major challenge that still needs to be tackled.”

Overall, “this year’s index finds the same group of countries at its head, countries such as Finland, Norway and Netherlands [with Estonia in 3rd place] that respect basic freedoms. This serves as a reminder that media independence can only be maintained in strong democracies and that democracy needs media freedom. It is worth noting the entry of Cape Verde and Namibia into the top twenty, two African countries where no attempts to obstruct the media were reported in 2011,” said Reporters without Borders in its release.