According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is ranked 64th in the World Press Freedom Index for 2023, which is up by three places compared to last year, when it was ranked 67th.

According to the RSF Index, the media in BiH operate in a relatively favorable legal but extremely unfavorable political and economic environment. Journalists do not feel safe while doing their job and there are big differences in media freedom and the quality of journalism across the country. The country has a very fragmented media market with about 40 TV channels, 150 radio stations, several daily newspapers and news agencies, almost 200 magazines and other periodicals and about 600 web editorials. However, as the RSF noted, it's a paradox that such a large number of media does not imply true pluralism of information and opinions.

According to the RSF Index, TV N1 and Al Jazeera Balkans are among the most influential media in BiH, while investigative journalism is provided by online editorials like CIN, Istraga, Žurnal and Inforadar. And although the overall political environment is unfavorable for media freedom, there are major differences in the country due to the different political structures of the entities in BiH. The work of the media is in a better condition in the capital Sarajevo than in Republika Srpska (RS) and in the western part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Politicians in the country regularly attack journalists and exert influence over public media and regulatory bodies.

And even though the legal framework for the work of the media is largely in compliance with the international standards, the policy-making process has stalled in recent years despite the need to amend the existing laws and enact new ones. Journalists are generally working in an environment with no censorship but many factors that encourage self-censorship. Access to information is generally open to all journalists, without discrimination. The legal provisions on source protection and the code of ethics are in place.

The economic environment is difficult for journalists because of the small market and the lack of sustainable funding. All media in BiH are suffering from the ethnic divisions within the country combined with competition of the media from the neighboring countries belonging to the same language area. Due to the difficult economic situation and the dependence on political and economic power centers, a large number of media outlets avoid critical reporting.

Bosnian society, which, according to the RSF, has a post-conflict nature, has gone thru many divisions and remains torn between those who promote reconciliation and cooperation and those who advocate for conflict and division. The strong societal preference for ethnic and religious identity overshadows the issues of individual freedoms including freedom of the press. In the media, the position of women is presented as more difficult than that of men.

Journalists are most often exposed to verbal threats and attacks as well as to occasional physical assaults. They generally do not feel protected enough while doing their job and do not trust the police to protect them. There are various initiatives to improve the safety of journalists, which are aimed at improving the legislation and the work of the prosecution.

In the survey 'Indicators of the level of media freedom and safety of journalists in BiH 2022', which they presented in March, the Association BH Journalists stated that last year, journalists and media in BiH were exposed to frequent political pressures and that the number of political pressures and verbal threats to journalists increased by 40% compared to the year before. The helpline for journalists, which operates within the Association recorded a total of 79 cases of violations of journalistic rights and media freedoms. And they also saw a significant increase in hate speech against journalists, particularly in the online space.

The US State Department also stated that intimidation, political pressures, threats and harassment of journalists and media in BiH persisted in 2022. They also stated that the main problem lies in the lack of transparency in media ownership and that media reporting is dominated by nationalistic rhetoric as well as by ethnic and political bias.