March 30 (SeeNews) - Media freedom in Bulgaria has deteriorated further, as independent media outlets and journalists who investigate crime and corruption faced frequent threats and smear campaigns, including by public officials, Amnesty International said in its 2021/2022 State of the World's Human Rights report.
The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the already precarious working conditions of media workers, resulting in salary cuts, delayed payments, and the undermining of editorial independence, the human rights-focused non-governmental organisation said in the report published on Tuesday.
The Bulgarian government reduced funding to several public media outlets and the country’s media regulator, the Council for Electronic Media, Amnesty International noted.
Bulgaria ranked 112th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2021 World Press Freedom Index - the lowest position among all EU member states.