AKIPRESS.COM - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomedjavascript:mctmp(0); the Mongolian government's draft law on press freedom. While some areas of the proposed legislation need further refinement, it is a positive step forward to ensure the freedom, independence, and plurality of Mongolian journalism is better guaranteed.
In October 2024, Mongolia's Ministry of Justice introduced plans to reform the country's Law on Freedom of The Press, originally passed in 1998. According to the government, the reform aims to foster the development of a diverse media landscape full of reliable journalism and tackle the country's recent decline in press freedom, highlighted by Mongolia's drop in the RSF World Press Freedom Index by 36 places since 2020. Mongolia currently ranks 109th out of 180 countries and territories in 2024.
"This is a welcome, ambitious piece of legislation that seeks to address critical issues for Mongolian journalists. In RSF's view, while some improvements could be made, the draft law provides a good basis for upcoming Parliament discussions. By adopting this law, Mongolia would demonstrate its commitment to press freedom and the public's right to reliable information despite the pressure of being a landlocked nation geographically surrounded by the authoritarian regimes of Russia and China," RSF's Director of Advocacy and Assistance Antoine Bernard stated.
The RSF provided five main recommendations to strengthen Mongolia's proposed press freedom law: clarify the definition of journalism, guarantee media independence, enhance source protection, promote self-regulation standards, and increase transparency in media ownership and funding.