IREX
International Research & Exchanges Board

Media Sustainability Index (MSI) - Europe and Eurasia

MSI Europe & Eurasia 2003

Study Shows Impressive Progress in Developing Independent Media in Southeast Europe but Continuing Obstacles for Central Asia’s Media

ISSN:1546-0878

2003 Media Sustainability Index

WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2004—In the newly released Media Sustainability Index (MSI) 2003, IREX documents dramatic improvement for the media environments in the countries of Southeast Europe during the last year. In Central Asia, however, independent media continued to face serious obstacles to development. The study also shows the Caucasus region has witnessed gradual progress while, on average, independent media development stagnated in Russia and the Western Eurasian countries.

The 2003 MSI indicates:

  • Croatia is the closest to independent media sustainability for 2003, with the highest average score of any country reviewed.
  • Uzbekistan has the lowest average rating of all 20 countries, and Central Asia on average is the least hospitable region for independent media.
  • Armenia shows slowly but steadily improving scores, mirroring gradual improvement in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
  • Belarus’ ranking dropped below its starting point in 2001.

The Media Sustainability Index is the only study that looks at the entire media system in each of 20 countries in Southeast Europe and Eurasia. The MSI analyzes freedom of speech, plurality of media available to citizens, professional journalism standards, business sustainability of media, and the efficacy of institutions that support independent media. The MSI features country-by-country rankings using a proven methodology and detailed input from media professionals in the 20 countries. The study also offers a comparison of trends from 2001 to 2003 in order to show which countries have improved, where backsliding has occurred, and what can be expected going forward.

The MSI, funded by USAID, offers a valuable tool for media development practitioners, public officials, scholars and others concerned about the region’s media. The new MSI 2003 can be found at http://www.irex.org/msi/.

Download the 2003 MSI

The 2003 MSI is available for download in Adobe Acrobat PDF file format. PDF downloads will open in a new browser window. The complete publication is available for download as a zip archive; the cover and introductory materials are available seprately as PDF files. Individual files by region and countries will be available shortly.

Introductory Materials:

Download the complete 2003 MSI:s
Zip archive containing a PDF of the complete MSI 2003.

Regional Sections:
Regional sections include country chapters for the region and a regional overview.

Country Chapters:
Country chapters for each country included in the 2003 edition.

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