April 26 (SeeNews) - Moldova fell four places to 80th position in Reporters Without Borders' latest freedom of press ranking as the leading media were in lockstep with the political and business interests of their owners, the non-governmental organization said on Wednesday.
In regional comparison, media freedom in Moldova performed better than in Kosovo (80th), Montenegro (106th), Bulgaria (109th) and Macedonia (111th), but worse than in Bosnia (65th), Serbia (66th), Croatia (74th), Romania (46th), and Slovenia (37th), the World Press Freedom Index 2017 showed.
Moldova's media are diversified but extremely polarized, like the country itself, which is characterized by chronic instability and the excessive influence of its oligarchs, RSF said.
"The editorial line of the leading media outlets correlates closely with the political and business interests of their owners. Journalistic independence and media ownership transparency are major challenges," it added.
Also, as media outlets battle with each other in a climate exacerbated by the Ukrainian crisis, the broadcasting regulatory authority’s lack of independence continues to be a source of concern.
Published by RSF annually since 2002, the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of freedom available to journalists in 180 countries using the following criteria – pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-censorship, legislative environment, transparency, infrastructure, and abuses.