Georgia jumps 12 places in World Press Freedom Index

Georgia has jumped 12 places in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, ranking 77th out of 180 states with a score of 61.69. 

The new place follows the country’s previous ranking as 89th in last year's index. 

Released earlier this week, the report described Georgia’s media landscape as “diverse” and said community and regional radio stations were assuming more impactful roles across the country.

Image: Reporters Withouit Borders.

However, it also noted the domestic media environment as “highly politically polarised”, and said “manipulation, hate speech and disinformation are widespread in the media, especially on television, the main source of information”. 

The report also pointed out the country was undergoing “a new and serious political crisis” following the contested Parliamentary elections in October 2020, with the environment favouring “sustained competition” for control of domestic television networks.