Georgia is 77th in the ranking, Russia is 164th, Turkey and Azerbaijan are ranked 165th and 151st respectively. Armenia’s southern neighbor Iran is 177th on the list.
Norway, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Finland are ranked as the countries with the highest degree of freedom for journalists.
According to the report, despite a pluralistic environment, the media remain polarized, the country is facing an unprecedented level of disinformation and hate speech, especially concerning the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The 21st edition of the World Press Freedom Index, compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), sheds light on major and often radical changes linked to political, social and technological upheavals.
According to the 2023 World Press Freedom Index – which evaluates the environment for journalism in 180 countries and territories and is published on World Press Freedom Day (3 May) – the situation is “very serious” in 31 countries, “difficult” in 42, “problematic” in 55, and “good” or “satisfactory” in 52 countries. In other words, the environment for journalism is “bad” in seven out of ten countries, and satisfactory in only three out of ten.
