Media & Information: Progress Flatlined

⚠️ Disclaimer: This blogpost is AI-generated for presentation purposes only. It does not reflect real data or official assessments.

📊 Note: Reports like this will be based on real ALIGNED dataset insights. You can fully customize it here to explore topics that matter to you.

Media freedom appears as one of the most static chapters in ALIGNED’s dataset. Despite over 40 separate mentions in Commission reports between 2015 and 2023, the overall evaluative tone averages at -0.6—indicative of consistently negative assessments.

By visualizing the change in frequency and severity of expressions like “limited progress”, “continued pressure on independent outlets”, and “lack of follow-through”, the ALIGNED tool makes visible the plateau of reform in this area.

Graph 1. Decline in media pluralism in Serbia (2014-2024)

Source: Reform Track (2025). ALIGNED fake dataset. [fake dataset]

This flatline aligns with NGO reports, but ALIGNED’s comparative analysis across chapters reveals media freedom is the only domain where positive phrases nearly disappear after 2018.

What stands out in this trend is not just the absence of progress, but the resignation in evaluative language. The Commission appears to have transitioned from hopeful encouragement to routine critique—suggesting it no longer anticipates improvement in this domain. ALIGNED’s granularity helps illustrate how “media freedom” is no longer treated as an active site of reform but rather as a reputational liability being documented but not contested.

“After 2018, the Commission stopped expecting improvement—it only monitors decline.”