World Press Freedom Index 2023

Why in news?

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released the World Press Freedom Index 2023.

About the index:

• It aims to assess the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories.
• It is released by Reporters Without Borders(RSF).

Indicators:

• The index ranks countries based on five indicators:
  • Political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and security.

Key findings of the World Press Freedom Index 2023:

• Norway is ranked first for the seventh consecutive year.
• India is ranked 161 out of 180 countries. Press freedom in India has gone from “problematic” to “very bad”, with the country slipping 11 ranks since the 2022 report.
• Except for Bangladesh (163), Myanmar (173) and China (179), all other neighbours have a better rank than India — Bhutan (90), Nepal (95), Sri Lanka (135), Pakistan (150), Afghanistan (152).
• According to the report, violence against journalists, the politically partisan media and the concentration of media ownership all demonstrate that press freedom is in crisis in India, the world’s largest democracy.

Add ons:

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is an international NGO whose self-proclaimed aim is to defend and promote media freedom.
• It has consultative status with the United Nations. It is headquartered Paris, France.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

World Press Freedom Index is published by:

(a) International Press Institute (IPI)

(b) Reporters Without Borders

(c) International News Safety Institute

(d) UNESCO

Answer