Reporters Without Borders: Trusted journalism blocked in over 130 countries, where is Kosovo?

The organisation reaches that conclusion in the World Press Freedom Index 2021, under which there has been a dramatic deterioration of the journalistic situation.

The body's “Coronavirus pandemic has been used as a basis to block journalists' access to information sources and field reporting”, RSF says.

Countries in the ranks of Reporters Without Borders are classified in good “environments “, “at least a little or very good”, “problem”, bad “, or very bad “”, for press freedom and are respectively identified in white, yellow, orange, red or black on the World Press Freedom Map.

In only 7 percent of the world's countries, the environment for journalism is very good.

This number has not been that low since 2013.

Index data, which measures the limits of access to information and barriers to news coverage, confirms efforts and measures to block journalism.

The data shows that journalists find it increasingly difficult to investigate and report sensitive topics, especially in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

RSF Secretary General Christopher Deloire Orgazura says “Journalism is the best vaccine against disinformation”.

But unfortunately, its production and distribution is often blocked by political, economic, technological and sometimes cultural factors. In response to spreading disinformation across borders, digital platforms and social media, journalism is the main way to ensure that public debate is based on a wide and varied range of facts”, he says.

Europe, the Balkans, the American continent

Europe recorded a significant deterioration in its “abuses”, with more than twice the acts of violence in the European Union and the Balkans compared to a deterioration of 17% worldwide. Attacks on journalists and arbitrary arrests rose in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, which has dropped two countries -- Greece that has dropped five countries, Serbia and Bulgaria. Albania and Kosovo rank among the problem “ ” countries. Out of 180 countries, Albania ranks 83rd, winning a country from last year, when it was 84th. Kosovo has suffered an 8-nation drop from 70 last year to 78 this year. Northern Macedonia has won two seats -- from 92 last year to 90 this year. Europe and the American continent continue to be the most favourable continent for freedom of the press, taken as the region, although in the American continent, the largest deterioration in terms of regional violations (up to 2.5%) was registered.

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Norway ranks first in the Index for the fifth year in a row, even the country's media have complained about the lack of access to state information about pandemic. Finland has held second place, while Sweden is in third place, which last year was Denmark, which was in fourth place this year. This alignment clearly confirms the success of the Nordic “model” in promoting press freedom.

The place that has descended from the best “ ” ranking at “at least good” is Germany, at 13, after dropping two places. Tens of this country's journalists were attacked by supporters of extremist groups and those of conspiracy theories during protests against restrictions imposed on combating the panandemia.

In the same group are the United States, at 44th place, though the last year of Donald Trump's presidency was accompanied by a record number of attacks against journalists (about 400) and arrests of journalists (130).

Russia is 150th, one below last year and in the category of countries with poor “ ”. She used her oppressive device to limit media coverage of the protests in support of the Kremlin's opponent Alexei Navalny.

China, which continues to use censorship, surveillance and levels of online propaganda at unprecedented levels, is again among very bad “countries. It is in place of 177 among 180 countries.

Right after China is the same quarter of the totalitarian countries that are always in the last three countries: Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea.