Media: The constitution provides for freedom of expression, however freedom of speech is in practice limited for ethnic minorities, according to Freedom House 2011. The two independent institutions regulating media are the Independent Media Commission (IMC) and the Press Council of Kosovo (PCK). According to Freedom House 2011, the media are financially and editorially weak, which makes them susceptible to political pressure and interference. For instance, the OSCE has claimed that the Assembly of Kosovo has infringed on the independence of the aforementioned institutions by interfering in internal decision-making procedures and overriding their decisions. Due to the lack of financial independence, the media has become linked to political parties, which contributes to self-censorship by journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders 2010, access to information and to public data remains difficult and has still not been guaranteed under law. Freedom House 2011 reveals that journalists in Kosovo have reported frequent harassment and intimidation.  More worryingly, several incidents of violence against journalists were reported. Defamation remains a criminal offence in the country. Reporters Without Borders 2010 ranks Kosovo 75th out of 175 countries in relation to freedom of the press. While Freedom House 2011 ranks Kosovo as 'partly free'

Civil Society: According to Freedom House 2011, freedom of assembly has occasionally been restricted by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO-led peacekeeping force (KFOR) for security reasons, while the constitution includes safeguards for public order and national security. Civil society organisations generally function freely, although decreasing donor funding in recent years has led many to cease operations. Among Kosovo's 3,000 registered non-governmental organisations, only a small number are active. Despite its plurality, Kosovo's civil society faces a developmental lag in stability, sustainability, and independence, as reported by Freedom House 2008. In the first half of 2008, Kosovo's civil society presented agendas organised around thematic issues, which, according to Freedom House 2009, may lead to a greater involvement of the civil society in the policy-making process. Civil society organisations also continue with their activities in the anti-corruption field by monitoring the government and implementation of laws (especially the Law on Access to Public Documents), as emphasised by Freedom House 2008.

Organizata Çohu! (Organizata për Demokraci Antikorrupsion dhe Dinjitet, in Albanian): Organizata Çohu! is an organisation for democracy, anti-corruption and dignity, which conducts extensive anti-corruption activities. Established in 2005, Çohu! is notorious for continually questioning the credibility of the Kosovo Anti-Corruption Agency and its reports. In 2007, Organizata Çohu! and other organisations established the Coalition for a Clean Parliament, which created a public roster of allegedly corrupt candidates running for the Assembly and municipal elections. Subsequently, officials from the Ministry of Public Services inspected Organizata Çohu! offices to conduct a financial audit and has been seen as politically motivated by some NGOs, as reported by Freedom House 2008. In 2009, Organizata Çohu! released the report European Integration, Judiciary and the Fight against Corruption (no link available).

Youth Initiative for Human Rights Kosovo (YIHR): YIHR is a non-governmental organisation with a local chapter in Kosovo. In 2008, the YIHR participated actively in monitoring Kosovo's institutions for human rights compliance, implementation of anti-discrimination legislation, implementation of the Law on Access to Official Documents, and the Ombudsperson selection process, according to the Freedom House 2009.