EU should stick up for journalists in Western Balkans

It’s not easy to be an investigative journalist in the Western Balkans. Besides the inherent challenges of the job, reporters can face physical attacks, intimidation, even death threats. Reporting an attack to the authorities rarely brings justice.

Journalists who offend powerful interests can face libel suits or smear campaigns, and be called “enemies of the state” or “foreign agents.”

State advertising and links between media owners and politicians put financial and political ...