European reporters more and more obstructed in their work

Reporters Without Borders’ 2019 Index shows that journalists’ working conditions in Europe are declining year after year, and that the death of four reporters in two and a half years should sound as a warning signal for those who care about democracy and freedom of the press.

Hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence and contributed to an increase in fear worldwide, including in Europe, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) latest Press Freedom Index shows. As the decline in press freedom has gone hand in hand with the rise of authoritarian governments, RFS asks: “Has a dam burst in Europe?”

The Index, which covers 180 nations, measures countries through series of scores and then calculate the final point from the lowest to the biggest level of constraints or violations. An online map shows the number of countries regarded as 'safe' ('where journalists can work in complete security').

According to the report, safe countries have been declining since 2013. The EU and Balkans registered the second biggest deterioration (1.7 percent) in its regional score. Among the 40 countries, half of them obtained a worse score or remained the same.

Vox