The Media Sustainability Index 2004, which gives a review of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the development of the media in 20 countries in Europa and Eurasia, places Croatia at the top of the list according to the sustainability of the media in 2004. Croatia was also at the top of the list in 2003.
Croatia with the average objective scores totalling 2.83 is followed by Bulgaria (2.56) and Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Romania and Albania.
"The Media Sustainability Index (MSI), funded by the USAID, is a valuable tool for media professionals, public officials, scholars and others concerned about media and its role in democratic and economic reform. The MSI is the only study that critically examines the entire media sector in each of the 20 countries in Southeast Europe and Eurasia," the IREX said on its web site.
"The Media Sustainability Index (MSI) 2004 provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of media development in 20 countries over a four-year span from 2001 through 2004. Some trends, both negative and positive, mark the media environments in countries in Europe and Eurasia consistently over time, while other patterns are more spontaneous. For example, politicized media coverage and self-censorship serve as persistent obstacles to development in almost all of the countries reviewed. By contrast, recent revolutions in two countries sparked improvements in their respective media sectors."
The study shows that in the 2001-2004 period the biggest media headway was made by Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Croatia achieving moderate progress.