Armenia ranks 78^th in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders that covers 180 countries.

The country dropped four points from last year.

In terms of Eastern Europe and Central Asia the Index writes:

The region’s four best-placed countries in this year’s index are the same as last year. Although their positions in the index are fairly dispersed, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan all enjoy a significant degree of pluralism and relatively little state censorship. But the considerable social polarization is reflected in the media and the climate for journalists, who are often harassed by pressure groups. Given that the political orientation of individual media usually coincides with that of their owners, it would seem that respect for the editorial independence of media employees is still limited.

The 2013 elections in Georgia and Armenia were calmer than previous ones. Violence against journalists was rare. Armenia’s state broadcaster has progressed as regards impartiality but the electoral environment exacerbated the ongoing information war in the privately-owned media – a war in which the authorities have a clear advantage.

As for Armenia’s neighbors, Georgia ranked 84^th (+16), Turkey 154^th (0), Azerbaijan 160^th (-4) and Iran 174^th (+1).