Armenia is ranked 79th among 180 countries in the 2017 Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders.

According to the report, “the print media in Armenia are diverse and polarized, investigative journalism prospers on the Internet, but pluralism lags behind in the broadcast media. In the crucial transition to digital TV, a future space for critical broadcasters will depend on the impartiality of the frequency bidding process.”

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Russia – 148th, Georgia – 64th, Turkey – 155th, Azerbaijan – 162nd, Iran – 165th.

Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands are ranked as the countries with the highest degree of freedom for journalists.

North Korea ranked last, with Reporters Without Borders saying the country “continues to keep its population in ignorance and terror.Also at the bottom of the list, just ahead of North Korea, were Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Syria and China.