Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which today published the 2022 World Press Freedom Index on Tuesday, states in its assessment of the media situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina that N1 television, along with Al Jazeera Balkans, is among the most important media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked 67th in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, slipping nine places compared to last year.

“The media operate in a relatively favorable legal environment, but in an extremely unfavorable political and economic milieu. Journalists do not feel protected while doing their work. There are large differences in media freedom and the quality of journalism across the country,” RSF said.

It says that the country has “a very fragmented media market with about 40 TV stations, 150 radios, several daily newspapers and news agencies, almost 200 magazines and other periodicals, and about 600 web outlets.”

“Paradoxically, such a large number of media does not imply true pluralism of information and opinions. The televisions N1 and Al Jazeera Balkans belong to the most important media, whereas investigative journalism is ensured by online outlets such as Cin, Istraga, Zurnal and Inforadar,” it says.

RSF also says that, while the overall political environment is unfavourable to press freedom, “there are significant differences across the country due to different political structures of its entities.”

“Media work is in better condition in the capital, Sarajevo, than it is in the majority-Serbian entity Republika Srpska, and in the western part of the entity Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Politicians in the country regularly attack journalists and exercise influence over the public media and regulatory bodies,” the organisation says.