Montenegro Political Orientation
Government
Government Type: Mixed Parliamentary and Presidential Republic
Chief of State: President Jakov Milatović (since 2023)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Dritan Abazović
Political Party: Europe Now! and United Reform Action (Green Party)
Political Position: Pro-European Center-Left
Press Freedom
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: 70.64 (Mostly Free)
World Press Freedom Rank: Montenegro 39/180
Montenegro was ranked 39th on the Press Freedom Index in 2023. Reporters Without Borders stated that Montenegro’s constitution and laws guarantee freedom of speech and expression. Still, press freedom continues to be threatened by political interference, unpunished attacks on journalists, and economic pressures.
Media Ownership and Government Analysis
The Montenegrin media landscape combines state-owned and private outlets. The Government owns and operates several media platforms. These outlets tend to support the Government and do not provide critical coverage of its policies, such as The public broadcaster RTCG.
Montenegro has several private media outlets, but media ownership is highly concentrated. These privately owned outlets tend to be more critical of the Government and face government pressure. It is worth noting that foreign companies, most from Serbia, own three out of the five national TV networks. Media outlets from neighboring countries such as Bosnia and Croatia also operate within the country. For example, Vijesti Media Group is privately owned and was subject to economic pressure from the Government. United Media is the majority owner of Vijesti Media Group.
Montenegro’s Government has a history of interfering with the media. Freedom House reports that Montenegro journalists faced numerous threats and physical attacks, with ineffective oversight of investigations into these incidents. For instance, 2018, Olivera Lakic, a Vijesti reporter covering organized crime, was shot in Podgorica. Furthermore, in 2022, Jadranka Ćetković, a Vijesti reporter, was physically assaulted while reporting on a trial in Bijelo Polje, and Gradska TV reporters were obstructed from covering an incident in Budva. As such incidents often go unpunished, the future of press freedom in Montenegro remains uncertain.
Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
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