Professor of journalism at the University of Pristina, Alban Zeneli, has assessed as alarming Kosovo’s ranking in the Press Freedom Index for 2025, published by the organization “Reporters Without Borders”.
According to him, more worrying than the comparison with neighboring countries – such as Serbia or Albania – is Kosovo’s drastic drop in the list. After the publication of the ranking, there were reactions in the public opinion about how Kosovo ranked behind Serbia and Albania in terms of press freedom.
“The decline was expected for anyone who has monitored the work of the media in Kosovo. It is the worst result since 2006, when Kosovo began to be ranked in this index,” Zeneli said on KTV’s “Interaktiv.”
Kosovo has lost 24 positions compared to last year, ranking 99th out of a total of 180 countries.
Zeneli emphasized that the index does not measure the quality of journalism, but the environment in which it develops – through several indicators such as: political climate, legislation, the economic situation of the media, the social environment and the safety of journalists.
He noted that the political indicator has had the greatest impact on Kosovo’s decline. According to him, the current government in office has used harsh and often anti-media language, which has also been reflected in public discourse.
“Laws like the one on the Independent Media Commission (IMC), which are contrary to the Constitution, have further aggravated the situation,” he added.
Professor Zeneli also blames the Government’s lack of response to the economic crisis, which has severely hit the media sector.
“Inflation has directly affected the financial sustainability of the media, but the government has not taken supportive measures,” he emphasized.
He also criticized politicians’ double standards towards the media.
“When the media reports against the opposition, they are good. When they criticize the government, they are bad. This shows a lack of sincerity towards freedom of expression,” said Zeneli.
Finally, Zeneli positively assessed the reaction of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK), which requested the creation of a national task force to improve the state of media freedom in the country.