EDITORIAL
Press freedom is in decline all over the world, with political crackdowns on journalists and independent media outlets rising steeply ahead of a general election set to be held in multiple countries in 2024, international press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Friday.
“A growing number of governments and political authorities are not fulfilling their role as guarantors of the best possible environment for journalism and for the public’s right to reliable, independent, and diverse news and information. RSF sees a worrying decline in support and respect for media autonomy and an increase in pressure from the state or other political actors,” the organization said in its new World Press Freedom Index.
The index ranks 180 countries on the range of freedom journalists working in each of them have to report independently of the authorities. Palestine, being under constant Israeli airstrikes, ranks 157th with over 100 Palestinian reporters killed by the Israeli military since October 7.
At the same time, Argentina’s rating plummeted 26 places to 66th after President Javier Milei, who is described by RSF as a “self-proclaimed predator of press freedom and media plurality,” came to power in late 2023.
The countries of Africa’s Sahel region, particularly those that have experienced military coups in recent years, were also downgraded, some of them significantly. Niger ranks 80th, Burkina Faso occupies 86th place and Mali comes 114th.
China performed even worse, being ranked almost at the bottom of the table, 172nd, as its government allegedly “continues to exercise strict control over information channels, implementing censorship and surveillance policies to regulate online content and restrict the spread of information deemed to be sensitive or contrary to the party line.” Russia ranks 162nd, as its “influence” allegedly manages to reach as far as Serbia, which is down eight places to 98th in the list, while Ukraine ranks 61st.
The leading positions are occupied by European, predominantly Nordic, countries, with Norway ranking first, followed by Denmark and Sweden. Meanwhile, the United States, which positions itself as a stronghold of democracy and freedom, fell 10 spots and now ranks 55, the index also showed.
# World Press Freedom Day
