Skopje, 18 November 2021 (MIA) – North Macedonia has improved the situation in the area of safety of journalists and media workers compared to the seven Western Balkans’ countries, according to the Western Balkans Journalists' Safety Index for 2020. However, in terms of protection measures in the country, the index states that the general policy of impunity for attackers against journalists continues. As a result, Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) continuously insists on special departments in the criminal court and the prosecution to increase the efficiency in the protection of the rights of journalists. The number of attacks compared to the previous year in 2020 has increased and out of which more than half were against women journalists. Overall scores range from 1 (worst) to 7 (best) in four separate areas. Out of the seven countries in the Western Balkans, the Republic of North Macedonia has an average score of 3.93, which, although not high, still makes the country better than the other countries involved in the process. According to AJM, the Western Balkans Journalists' Safety Index (WB-JSI) relies primarily on the research evidence collected and analysed by the partners of the Safejournalists.net Platform in compliance with a rigorous procedure of inquiry. The collected data on various dimensions of the complex concept of ‘journalists’ safety’ is quantified and aggregated into a composite indicator - Journalists’ Safety Index, to measure the changes across the seven Western Balkans’ countries over time. In the upcoming years, the improvement or deterioration of the situation in all countries will be measured by taking into consideration the assessment for 2020 as the reference year. More details about the theoretical framework and procedure of construction and calculation of the WB-JSI and all country reports can be found at: https://safejournalists.net/safety-index/