Reporters without Borders signal aggression against journalists in EU, including Romania

Luni, 5 mai 2008, 9:36 English | Regional Europe

The Reporters without Borders organization published exclusively on the World Press Freedom Day on May 3 a report concerning violence against journalists in various countries including Romania. According to the document, within the EU, freedom of the press is a reality as there are no ordered killings or illegal arrests and the official censorship is gone. However, threats against journalists or attempts of murder ordered by private groups still exist. 

In Romania, according to the report, almost every month local press freedom defenders register an aggression case against a journalist. The report even mentions the incident in which Romania's President Basescu brutally took a journalist's phone from her. Even though the journalist received her phone back, she was called names by the President.

Freedom House considers that Romania's press freedom is declining and the Romanian press was classed partially free, according to Romanian monitoring agency Rador. Thus, in its last analysis, Romania was downrated by four positions to reach 94.