Moldova is Second in Media Freedom Index of Eastern Partnership

According to a report released in Kiev on Wednesday, Moldova is second in the Media Freedom Index involving the countries of the Eastern Partnership. The ranking is led by Georgia, while Belarus is at the opposite end, according to an analysis performed within the EaP Media Freedom Watch project.

The research that resulted in a press freedom index was produced by interviewing 10 experts from each of the member states. They measured the degree of media freedom, giving marks according to the methodology approved by the authors of the project. The index consists of four parts: Politics, Practice, Broadcasting, and Internet and Media Innovation.

The chapter Politics covers the observance of rights and freedoms prescribed by the Constitution and the Law on Mass Media. Also, they examined the compatibility of national laws with international standards and legislation, as well as the existence of a censorship body. Here, Moldova ranked third.

In Practice, they determined the role of the state in ensuring journalists’ rights, as well as the authorities’ reaction to restriction of press freedom. The monitoring covered all cases of abuse of power, attack on journalists, and censorship. Here, Moldova ranked second.

In the Broadcasting part, Moldova shared the first position with Georgia, but it ranked third in terms of Internet access. The Eastern Partnership was established in 2009 and includes Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The project is a forum aimed at implementing political association and economic integration between the EU and its Eastern partners.

Source of photo: EaP Media Freedom Watch