The government recognises the challenges faced by journalists and stands with them with institutional tools, government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a statement issued on World Press Freedom Day on Saturday.

“Independent journalism is a pillar of our freedom. Not a privilege, but a duty. When it is free, society becomes more just,” Letymbiotis said.

While the freedom of the press was ‘not a given’ in an ‘era full of noise and disinformation’, he said that the government would not stop defending it as the right to know, choose and decide remained at the heart of the Cypriot democracy.

“Because when we protect the freedom of the press, we protect all of us,” he concluded.

Press freedom in Cyprus has sharply declined over the past year, according to the annual Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday.

Cyprus now ranks 77th out of 180, a drop of 12 places from its 2024 position and lower than countries such as Congo and Senegal, although it is still ranked higher than Greece at 89th, and Turkey at 159th.

In its assessment of Cyprus, RSF identified state, church, and corporate influence over newsrooms – along with the island’s political division – as key threats to press freedom.

The watchdog said growing media concentration and a lack of transparency in media ownership, both print and digital, had severely undermined pluralism and contributed to widespread self-censorship among journalists.

On an economic level, RSF found that Cypriot media has become “increasingly vulnerable to the influence of commercial interests”, with media owners often pursuing parallel business ventures and, in some cases, maintaining direct political involvement.

RSF also flagged concerns over the lack of transparency in the distribution of state funding, noting that this is particularly problematic for public broadcasters who rely on government support, as it fostered self-censorship and undermined independent reporting.