„The COVID crisis is a new excuse to reduce rule of law, democracy, and press freedom. In Europe unfortunately there are states which restricted press freedoms because of the pandemic, they are especially: Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria” – says Pavol Szalai from the Reporters Without Borders.
A free press is a core element of any functioning democracy. Yet the situation has worsened on all continents, as can be seen in the 2021 Reporters Without Borders ranking of press freedom. The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a justification to further crackdown on journalistic independence.
We invited
Pavol Szalai, Head of EU/Balkans Desk at Reporters Without Borders, to discuss the press freedom situation in Europe with a special focus on the Eastern European region.