Press freedom index: Kosovo rankings through years

Kosovo has scored regrance on media freedom, according to non-governmental organisation Reporters Without Borders.

In its World Press Freedom Index for 2017, Kosovo ranks 75th out of 180 states, or 19 countries below the previous year, when it received the best rating in a decade and a half. In 2023, Kosovo was ranked 56th.

Reporters Without Borders in their report on Kosovo have stressed that journalists are the target of political attacks while mentioning that the Government by its actions has threatened or abused media freedom in the country.

Specifically, they have mentioned the issue of TV, Klan Kosova, and the fact that Kosovo Radio Television is former official of the Vetevendosje Movement, Relind Grovalla.

“This decline we should see in the context of tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, in this context, journalists in Kosovo have faced and endured many physical attacks on them. There are dozens of such attacks, while the ruling Party added pressure on independent media. There has been a kind of administrative persecution against the private television station Klan Kosovaı. On the other hand, it became the choice of public television director, who is linked to the government camp. So there are these security risks and political risks, which you know have had serious consequences for press freedom in Kosovo”, Pavol Szalai, of “Reporters without Borders”.

But how has Kosovo's ranking been in this index in the past years?

In 2009, Kosovo was ranked 75th. The following year, it had fallen for 17 countries, ranking 9250th.

In the 2012 report, Kosovo was ranked 87th, in 2013 and 85th, in 2014 and 80zta.

Then, in 2015, she had returned to her position, ranking 87th and 2016 and 90th.

For four years then there was a slight lift. In 2017 it was 8250th, 7850th, 2019 and 7550th, and 2020 and 70th.

Then eight positions were dropped, ranking in 2021 and 7850. In 2022 the pasttah was set up for 18 countries, ranking 61.