Romania drops eight spots in global press freedom index

Romania ranks 56th in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), down eight spots from last year, when it ranked 48th. The country “can boast of a diverse, relatively pluralistic media landscape that produces hard-hitting public interest investigations,” but pressure from owners, lack of transparency in financing or market difficulties “hamper the reliability of the information,” RSF said.

The World Press Freedom Index assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories.

The RSF notes in its report that the Romanian media “lack independence and suffer from attempts at interference,” especially when nominating the heads of public radio and television and those of the National Audiovisual Council. “The latter has blocked information on the ownership of audiovisual media, under the pretext of protecting personal data. The aggressive political discourse against journalists has been revived by the new populist-nationalist party AUR, the fourth political force in the Romanian Parliament,” the report reads.

The non-profit also says that, although the Romanian legislation protecting freedom of expression is aligned with European standards, it is insufficiently enforced.

“Prosecutors’ interference with journalistic work amounts to harassment and raises serious concerns. The judiciary system is increasingly trying to push the media to reveal their sources. The number of abusive lawsuits (SLAPPs) has been growing, while court decisions do not always respect press freedom standards,” the report on Romania reads.

In economic terms, the index found media funding mechanisms in Romania to be often opaque or even corrupt. “Using public funds to buy positive media coverage is a widespread political practice,” it says.

Moreover, according to the same source, attacks against reporters and citizen journalists are increasing at an alarming rate in Romania. “A journalist, a documentary maker and an environmental activist were severely beaten in September 2021 while investigating illegal logging. Surveillance remains an issue, with parliament passing a legal provision – currently being considered by the constitutional court – which would extend the scope of the electronic communications interception, including by intelligence services.”

Moldova ranks better than Romania in the RSF index after jumping 49 places from the 89th position in 2021 to 40th in 2022. Bulgaria also stands out this year after climbing 21 spots. Meanwhile, Norway, Denmark and Sweden are at the top of the index.

“Moldova (40th) and Bulgaria (91st) stand out this year thanks to a government change and the hope it has brought for improvement in the situation for journalists even if oligarchs still own or control the media,” RSF said.