Armenia has retained the 61st position in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders today.
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Georgia is placed just ahead of Armenia at 60th, Russia is 149th, Turkey and Azerbaijan are ranked 154th and 168th respectively. Armenia’s southern neighbor Iran is 173rd on the list.
Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands are ranked as the countries with the highest degree of freedom for journalists.
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The report says media diversity has blossomed in Armenia, but the government that emerged from the velvet revolution in the spring of 2018 has failed to reduce the media’s polarization. The editorial policies of the main TV channels coincide with the interests of their owners.
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“Journalistic independence and transparent media ownership are still far from being achieved. There is concern about the volume of judicial proceedings against journalists and about excesses in the fight against fake news,” the report notes.
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“The involvement of the security services in combatting disinformation, followed by arrests of social media users, and attempts to legislate without prior discussion with civil society and journalists are alarming. However, investigative journalism is flourishing online and is well placed to play a major role in a national offensive against corruption,” Reporters Without Borders said.
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H/T Public Radio of Armenia