In the annual World Press Freedom Index, Reporters without Borders ranked Kosovo among the countries will partially free media. According to the report, the media in Kosovo suffer from direct and indirect political interference, financial pressure and ownership dependency. “Journalists who criticize the Kosovar authorities are often accused of being ‘traitors’ or ‘Serbian sympathizers,’” the report said recalling that days after the current government of Kosovo was confirmed in 2017, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj described journalists as “illiterate” and advised them to “go back to school.” Furthermore, two leading investigative journalists were physically attacked after criticizing members of the government and close allies in articles, the report notes. The report also speaks about ethnic division in the media saying they are very visible where members of the Albanian community are rarely seen cooperating in goodwill with members of the Serbian community. “The current government nonetheless seems readier to talk with journalists and the media as whole, unlike the two previous governments, which were much less open to dialogue,” Reporters without Borders conclude. Kosovo is ranked this year on the 78th place, four positions better than last year.
