Mongolia has been ranked the 60th by the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) for 2016.
The index were released by the Reporters Without Borders international NGO on April 20. It ranks the performance of 180 countries by a range of criteria that include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate.
Mongolian index went down by six places against the previous year with a score of 27.61 points.
The NGO’s website said that the state media’s transformation from government mouthpieces to public services in recent years and the creation of the first Media Council in February 2015 have improved the environment for the media. But still very imperfect media legislation, which encourages self-censorship, has weakened the virtuous circle that has existed since 2014. Lawsuits against the media are on the rise and many websites have been blocked.
The government’s lack of transparency and susceptibility to criticism limit the media’s ability to act as a watchdog, the NGO’s website says.