Lithuania drops in global press freedom index amid political pressure on public broadcaster

Lithuania has fallen one place in this year’s global press freedom rankings, with media advocates citing political pressure on public broadcaster LRT as a key factor, LRT reports.

The country now ranks 15th in the annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) index, down from 14th last year and a record high of 7th in 2023. Birutė Davidonytė, head of the Journalists’ Professional Association, said the report sends two clear messages: while politicians have pushed for restrictive laws, public support for media freedom remains strong.

“If it weren’t for the very low political indicator, our other positions wouldn’t differ so significantly from previous years,” Davidonytė told BNS. “The first step should be for politicians to change their attitude—and the first signal will be how the LRT amendments end.”

Audrys Antanaitis, chair of the Lithuanian Journalists’ Union, was more dismissive of the ranking’s significance. “I don’t put much faith in happiness indexes or press freedom rankings,” he said. “I don’t see a tragedy in dropping one, two, or three places.”

RSF highlighted proposed legal changes targeting LRT, warning they could weaken the broadcaster’s independence. Last year, lawmakers failed to pass amendments easing the dismissal of LRT’s director mid-term, but a working group later drafted a new governance model—now under parliamentary review—that critics argue still threatens free speech.

The report also noted tensions between the government and journalists, though direct political attacks on media workers remain rare. Antanaitis argued the friction stems from legislative disputes rather than broader government-media relations: “Reforms always stir up some noise, and that naturally causes fluctuations in the ranking.”

Davidonytė emphasized that journalists have protested for the first time since Lithuania’s independence, responding to what she called aggressive legislative efforts. “Journalists saw the force with which laws were being pushed in the Seimas, and protests erupted,” she said. “The tension is clear. If politicians stopped, the tension would disappear.”

RSF further warned that cuts to the Media Support Fund could harm regional and vulnerable outlets, undermining media pluralism. Both media associations criticized the reduction as undiscussed and concerning.

The index also flagged Lithuania’s legal framework as unclear, sometimes prioritizing data protection over press freedom in court rulings. Davidonytė noted gradual improvements, including a recent Judicial Council decision allowing journalists to obtain depersonalized rulings in public cases. Antanaitis acknowledged the legal system struggles to keep pace with rapid societal changes, calling for updates to the Public Information Act.