Existing comment:
The Bad News
Slovakia -- Free --> Partly Free
* Several public broadcast journalists were replaced with those deemed more sympathetic to the ruling coalition government.
* A journalist investigating ties between the government and organized crime was murdered in 2018.
Tonga -- Free --> Partly Free
* Hostile rhetoric against journalists increased.
* The state-run public broadcaster faced more political interference, including a series of leadership changes in 2017.
Tanzania -- Partly Free --> Not Free
* An investigative journalist disappeared in 2017, and two media activists researching Tanzania's press freedom were detailed a year later.
* New regulations in 2018 imposed hefty registration fees on online media.
* A newspaper was suspended from publishing for a week after allegedly printing false information. |