News - Parliament vice-speaker: Armenia improved its position by 6 points in Reporters Without Borders 2024 report

Ruben Rubinyan, deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, congratulated the journalists on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on Friday. "I congratulate our journalist colleagues. Also, it is interesting that today the prestigious organization Reporters Without Borders publicized the 2024 report, according to which Armenia has improved its position by 6 points, or horizontally. Last year it was 49th on the list of 180 countries, this year it is 43rd. I believe this is more than eloquent," said Rubinyan. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)  released its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the working conditions of journalists in nearly 180 countries, on Friday, May 3, the World Press Freedom Day. As per its report on Armenia, the latter has improved its position in the Press Freedom Index and has reached the 43rd position. Last year, Armenia was ranked 49th. It was noted in this report that despite a pluralistic environment, the media remain polarized in Armenia. “The country is facing an unprecedented level of disinformation and hate speech, especially over the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial dispute and the ongoing threat of war with Azerbaijan.” In the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, neighboring Georgia is 103rd, Azerbaijan is 164th, Turkey is 158th, and Iran is 176th. According to this report, social media, “accessed daily by two-thirds of the population, is the main source of information” in Armenia. It was emphasized that two political topics are especially sensitive in Armenia: “the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh and the strained relations between Armenia and Russia. Some political groups carry out disinformation operations and target journalists.” According to the report, “despite the decriminalisation of defamation and the implementation of legislation that guarantees the transparency of media ownership, the legal framework that regulates the sector [in Armenia] does not sufficiently protect freedom of the press, nor does it follow European standards.” The RSF 2024 World Press Freedom Index addressed also the safety issues of journalists. It was noted that “clashes on the border with Azerbaijan complicate the work of journalists.”