MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2009 The Development of Sustainable Independent Media in Europe and Eurasia MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2009 The Development of Sustainable Independent Media in Europe and Eurasia www.irex.org/msi Copyright © 2009 by IREX IREX 2121 K Street, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20037 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (202) 628-8188 Fax: (202) 628-8189 www.irex.org Project manager: Leon Morse IREX Project and Editorial Support: Blake Saville, Mark Whitehouse, Linda Trail, Eleeza Agopian, Lillie Paquette Copyeditors: Carolyn Feola de Rugamas, Carolyn.Ink; Kelly Kramer, WORDtoWORD Editorial Services; OmniStudio Design and layout: OmniStudio Printer: Kirby Lithographic Company, Inc. Notice of Rights: Permission is granted to display, copy, and distribute the MSI in whole or in part, provided that: (a) the materials are used with the acknowledgement “The Media Sustainability Index (MSI) is a product of IREX with funding from USAID.”; (b) the MSI is used solely for personal, noncommercial, or informational use; and (c) no modifications of the MSI are made. Acknowledgment: This publication was made possible through support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No. DGS-A- 00-99-00015-00. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are those of the panelists and other project researchers and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or IREX. ISSN 1546-0878 ii USAID USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. Our Work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances US foreign policy objectives by supporting: • economic growth, agriculture and trade; • global health; and, • democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance. We provide assistance in five regions of the world: • Sub-Saharan Africa; • Asia; • Latin America and the Caribbean, • Europe and Eurasia; and • The Middle East. With headquarters in Washington, DC, USAID’s strength is its field offices around the world. We work in close partnership with private voluntary organizations, indigenous organizations, universities, American businesses, international agencies, other governments, and other U.S. government agencies. USAID has working relationships with more than 3,500 American companies and over 300 U.S.-based private voluntary organizations. IREX IREX is an international nonprofit organization providing leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media, and foster pluralistic civil society development. Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of over $60 million and a staff of 500 professionals worldwide. IREX and its partner IREX Europe deliver cross-cutting programs and consulting expertise in more than 100 countries. Implementing Partners IREX wishes to thank the following organizations that coordinated the fieldwork for and authored a number of the studies herein: Marketing Communications Research Company (Armenia) http://www.tns-global.am Women’s Media Watch Azerbaijan http://www.wmw-az.org/ Mediacentar Sarajevo http://www.media.ba/mediacentar/compiled/p882.htm BTC ProMedia (Bulgaria) http://www.btcpromedia.org Institute for Advanced Studies GAP (Kosovo) http://www.gapinstitute.org/ Media Development Center (Macedonia) Independent Journalism Center (Moldova) http://ijc.md/eng/ Media LTD (Montenegro) http://www.media.cg.yu/index.htm Center for Independent Journalism (Romania) http://www.cji.ro/ iii EUROPE E&E& EURASIA Introduction ..................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary .......................................................................................... ix Methodology ..................................................................................................xvii Southeast Europe TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE Albania ............................................................................................................... 3 Bosnia & Herzegovina ..................................................................................... 17 Bulgaria ............................................................................................................ 33 Croatia ............................................................................................................. 43 Kosovo ............................................................................................................. 57 Macedonia ....................................................................................................... 67 Montenegro .................................................................................................... 77 Romania ........................................................................................................... 87 Serbia ............................................................................................................. 103 Caucasus Armenia ......................................................................................................... 115 Azerbaijan ..................................................................................................... 125 Georgia .......................................................................................................... 137 Russia and Western Eurasia Belarus ........................................................................................................... 153 Moldova ......................................................................................................... 167 Russia ............................................................................................................. 183 Ukraine .......................................................................................................... 197 Central Asia Kazakhstan .................................................................................................... 215 Kyrgyzstan ..................................................................................................... 231 Tajikistan ........................................................................................................ 249 Turkmenistan ................................................................................................. 265 Uzbekistan ..................................................................................................... 277 v The MSI reflects the expert opinions of media professionals in each country and its results inform the media community, civil society, and governments of the strengths and weaknesses of the sector. IREX continues to encourage professionals in their vital efforts at developing independent and sustainable media in their own countries or, in many cases, preserving alternative voices in the face of repressive governments. vi MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2009 INTRODUCTION I I am pleased to introduce the Media Sustainability Index (MSI) 2009. The MSI provides an analysis of the NTRODUCTION media environment in 21 countries of Europe and Eurasia during 2008 and also shows trends in the media sector since 2001. The MSI was first conceived in 2000 and launched in 2001, in cooperation with the IUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since that time, it has become a universally recognized reference for benchmarking and assessing changes in media systems across Europe and Eurasia. The MSI allows policymakers and implementers to analyze media systems and determine the areas in which media development assistance can improve citizens’ access to news and information. Armed with knowledge, citizens can help improve the quality of governance through participatory and democratic mechanisms, and help government and civil society actors devise solutions to pervasive issues such as poverty, healthcare, conflict, and education. The MSI also provides important information for the media and media advocates in each country and region. The MSI reflects the expert opinions of media professionals in each country and its results inform the media community, civil society, and governments of the strengths and weaknesses of the sector. IREX continues to encourage professionals in their vital efforts at developing independent and sustainable media in their own countries or, in many cases, preserving alternative voices in the face of repressive governments. IREX would like to thank all those who contributed to the publication of the Media Sustainability Index 2009. Participants, moderators, authors, and observers for each country, listed after each chapter, provided the primary analysis for this project. At IREX, Leon Morse managed the MSI with editorial and administrative assistance from Blake Saville. IREX staff in the region provided important logistical support and guidance. USAID has been a consistent supporter of the MSI, helping to develop the project and ensure its ongoing implementation. We hope you will find this report useful, and we welcome any feedback. Sincerely, W. Robert Pearson President, IREX INTRODUCTION vii This year’s study also shows how growth is fragile in the media sector, particularly in Objective 1, freedom of speech. While a government’s commitment to a free media should not hinge on the quality of journalism present, biased reporting and polarization in the media can often be used as a motivation or justification for government antipathy toward a free press. viii MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX 2009 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY E The 2009 edition of the