Mongolia ranked at 70th with its state of press freedom
SocietyUlaanbaatar/MONTSAME/. With
its state of press freedom, Mongolia has been ranked at 70th among
180 countries according to the 2019 World Press Freedom Index announced by Reporters
Without Borders (RSF) on April 18. It was ranked at 71st in 2018, 69th
in 2017 and 60th in 2016 respectively.
The WPF reads, “More than
half of the defamation cases in Mongolia are brought against journalists and
media outlets, pushing them to censor themselves. Mongolia’s TV channels
replaced their normal programming with blank screens on 26 April 2017 in
protest against plans to increase the penalties for defamation ahead of the
2017 presidential election. The overall environment for the media has improved
in recent years, especially as a result of the state media’s transformation
from government mouthpieces into public services. But media ownership is very
concentrated and most media are affiliated to political parties, which curtails
the emergence of independent media. Whether state or privately-owned, the media
are under pressure from politicians and their ability to act as watchdogs is
limited by the government’s lack of transparency and its susceptibility to
criticism by the imperfect media legislation.”
The Index, which evaluates the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories
every year, shows that an intense climate of fear has been
triggered — one that is prejudicial to a safe reporting environment.