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The Wire
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
‘Judicial Harassment Has Reached a Critical Level for Indian Independent Media': RSF at Delhi Presser
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Media 'Judicial Harassment Has Reached a Critical Level for Indian Independent Media': RSF at Delhi Presser The Wire Staff 37 minutes ago RSF also called for the immediate release of media professionals detained for doing their job and for the abusive legal proceedings against them to be dropped. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now New Delhi: The organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has noted a decline in the media economy and worsening conditions for journalism in India. In a press conference on May 16, at the Press Club of India in New Delhi, the RSF presented a 'damning analysis' of the state of press freedom in India. RSF is the organisation which releases the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, in which India ranks 151st out of 180 countries. The RSF noted that India's progress in the 2025 Index – it is up eight places from the 2024 one – is deceptive, as its overall score has only increased marginally. Thibaut Bruttin, RSF director general, and Célia Mercier, head of the RSF's South Asia desk noted how the non-governmental organisation defines press freedom: journalists' ability to operate without security, political, legal, social, or economic constraints. Bruttin said: 'India is the world's largest democracy, and its electoral process cannot take place without a public debate grounded in facts, which are brought to light by journalists. We call on journalists to look past divisions and unite around the ideal of delivering trustworthy information that serves the public interest. There is no need to be fatalistic: RSF stands with Indian journalists in these difficult times and is ready to work with local, federal, and national authorities of goodwill to implement actions and reforms that could improve the country's ranking. RSF's presence reflects a strong commitment to engage with these issues, which are essential to Indian society.' RSF also called for the immediate release of media professionals detained for doing their job and for the abusive legal proceedings against them to be dropped. The global body called for an end to impunity for crimes committed against journalists, noting that two to three journalists have died each year over the past decade. 'A protection mechanism could be established, and investigations must prioritise looking into the victim's journalistic work as motives behind such attacks,' it said. The RSF also noted how media raids and the arrests of journalists are often carried out under the guise of anti-terrorism laws or tax regulations. 'This judicial harassment has reached a critical level for independent news media, and authorities regularly implement legislation that falls outside the proper legal framework applicable to the press,' it said. It also condemned the increasingly severe restrictions on access to reliable information in Kashmir and several northeastern states, and the challenges to accessing sources and data, which journalists need to be able to report properly. The NGO also called on the government to establish a transparent visa system for foreign journalists amid the growing obstacles faced by foreign journalists seeking to cover current events in India. Finally, RSF advocated for legislative reforms that would help limit conglomerates' growing control of traditional media outlets and provide a framework to regulate social media platforms. These reforms, according to RSF, should include exemptions for recognised press outlets identified through national accreditation mechanisms or international professional standards, such as the Journalism Trust Initiative. 'RSF is also issuing a reminder that India is a signatory to the International Partnership on Information and Democracy, an initiative launched by RSF, and calls on the government to make use of this forum for dialogue and exchange between nations,' its press release said. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Backstory | India's Media Betrayed the Country In a Time of War, Here's How How Indian Media Sabotaged its Own War Efforts X Says Modi Government Has Asked It to Block Over 8,000 Accounts in India Foreign Secretary Locks X Account After Vicious Social Media Abuse Blaming Him for Ceasefire Government Blocks X Handles of Global Times, Xinhua News and TRT World From Pakistan to the US and Europe, Here's What International Media Said on Operation Sindoor Amid Claims and Counter-Claims, Concerns over 'Escalation' Reach A New High Today Small-Town Journalists Face Higher Risk of Getting Arrested, Only 3% Protected: Study 'Anti-India', Terror and Air Guns: How the Grounds for a Kerala Journalist's Detention Have Shifted Rapidly About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Top 10 best and worst countries for press freedom in 2025: India's rank revealed
World Press Freedom Index: In 2025, global press freedom is being threatened by growing economic pressures on journalists and newsrooms, adding to the already precarious nature of the profession subjected to socio-political and legal challenges. Witnessing a troubling downward trend, its global landscape is being described as a 'difficult situation' for the first time in history, according to new findings of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index 2025. 'Today's news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival,' RSF highlights. (Source: World Press Freedom Index 2025, RSF) RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025: What are the key challenges to press freedom globally? Out of 180 countries assessed, 160 face significant challenges regarding the financial stability of media outlets, notably affected in the United States (ranked 57th, a decline of 2 places from the previous year), Tunisia (129th, down 11 places), and Argentina (87th, down 21 places). Political instability further exacerbates the media economy, with particular difficulties in Palestine (163rd) and a notable decline in Israel (112th, down 11 places). The concentration of media ownership also threatens media diversity and encourages self-censorship, affecting 46 countries, including well-placed nations like Australia (29th), Canada (21st), the Czechia (10th), and France (25th, down 4 places). In some instances, such control is entirely state-owned, as seen in Russia (171st, down 9 places). Laws restricting 'foreign influence' also stifle independent journalism, particularly in Georgia (114th, down 11 places). Repressive legislation against the press poses additional challenges, notably in Central Asia and the Middle East, such as in Jordan (147th, which fell 15 places). Editorial interference is a widespread issue, reported in over half of the countries evaluated (92 out of 180). In 21 countries—including Rwanda (146th), the United Arab Emirates (164th), and Vietnam (173rd) —media owners routinely interfere with editorial decisions, according to RSF. Where does India rank? India ranked 151st with a total score of 32.96 in the World Press Freedom Index in 2025, moving up 8 places from 159th last year. World Press Freedom Index 2025: A comparative analysis on India's rank and score – 2025 vs. 2024. Norway led the list in 2025, as it did last year, followed by Scandinavian and European countries that have consistently ranked high on press freedom surveys, supported by strong legal protections and a diverse media economy. Eritrea is at the bottom-most this year, followed by countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, which experience a worrying deterioration of 80% of the economic score alongside persistent polarisation and repression. Top 10 Countries with the Best Press Freedom in 2025 Rank Country Global Score Political Economic Legislative Social Security 1 Norway 92.31 96.22 87.32 91.96 90.03 96.03 2 Estonia 89.46 90.87 79.4 90 91.61 95.41 3 Netherlands 88.64 89.95 83.85 89.69 88.05 91.64 4 Sweden 88.13 90.07 82.71 90.02 84.99 92.86 5 Finland 87.18 89.93 80.54 87.93 83.87 93.65 6 Denmark 86.93 91.13 78.46 86.78 83.85 94.43 7 Ireland 86.92 91.3 78.77 81.49 87.25 95.8 8 Portugal 84.26 88.77 65.83 86.16 86.74 93.81 9 Switzerland 83.98 85.7 73.21 83.73 83.4 93.86 10 Czechia 83.96 84.64 65.41 88.22 87.66 93.87 Bottom 10 Countries with the Worst Press Freedom in 2025 Rank Country Global Score Political Economic Legislative Social Security 180 Eritrea 11.32 10.81 15.46 8.35 11.69 10.29 179 North Korea 12.64 12.18 11.05 16.67 9.46 13.86 178 China 14.8 9.78 20.53 11.23 15.73 16.74 177 Syria 15.82 14 14.39 16.01 19.64 15.08 176 Iran 16.22 12.86 19.26 16.78 14.55 17.66 175 Afghanistan 17.88 17.78 25.1 11.43 18.92 16.16 174 Turkmenistan 19.14 7.63 15.9 31.94 13 27.24 173 Vietnam 19.74 13.81 19.15 19.16 20.97 25.62 172 Nicaragua 22.83 14.76 24.84 19.88 30.08 24.6 171 Russia 24.57 12.05 32.96 23.41 30.83 23.57
Scoop
03-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
RSF Releases 2025 World Press Freedom Index
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its annual World Press Freedom Index today. Although physical attacks against journalists are the most visible violations of press freedom, economic pressure is also a major, more insidious problem. The global state of press freedom is now classified as a 'difficult situation' for the first time in the history of the Index. At a time when press freedom is experiencing a worrying decline in many parts of the world, a major — yet often underestimated — factor is seriously weakening the media: economic pressure. Much of this is due to ownership concentration, pressure from advertisers and financial backers, and public aid that is restricted, absent or allocated in an opaque manner. The data measured by the RSF Index's economic indicator clearly shows that today's news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival. 'Guaranteeing freedom, independence and plurality in today's media landscape requires stable and transparent financial conditions. Without economic independence, there can be no free press. When news media are financially strained, they are drawn into a race to attract audiences at the expense of quality reporting, and can fall prey to the oligarchs and public authorities who seek to exploit them." ........................................... Of the five main indicators that determine the World Press Freedom Index, the indicator measuring the financial conditions of journalism and economic pressure on the industry dragged down the world's overall score in 2025. The economic indicator in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index is at its lowest point in history, and the global situation is now considered 'difficult.' The ongoing wave of media shutdowns According to data collected by RSF for the 2025 Index, in 160 out of the 180 countries assessed, media outlets achieve financial stability 'with difficulty' — or 'not at all.' Worse, news outlets are shutting down due to economic hardship in nearly a third of countries globally. This is the case in the United States (57th, down 2 places) Tunisia (129th, down 11 places) and Argentina (87th, down 21 places). The situation in Palestine (163rd) is disastrous. In Gaza, the Israeli army has destroyed newsrooms, killed nearly 200 journalists and imposed a total blockade on the strip for over 18 months. In Haiti (112th, down 18 places), the lack of political stability has also plunged the media economy into chaos. The United States: leader of the economic depression In the United States, where the economic indicator has dropped by more than 14 points in two years, vast regions are turning into news deserts. Local journalism is bearing the brunt of the economic downturn: more than 60% of journalists and media experts surveyed by RSF in Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania agree that it is 'difficult to earn a living wage as a journalist,' and 75% believe that 'the average media outlet struggles for economic viability.' The country's 28-place drop in the social indicator reveals that the press operates in an increasingly hostile environment. President Donald Trump's second term has already intensified this trend as false economic pretexts are used to bring the press into line. This led to the abrupt end to funding for the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which affected several newsrooms — including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — and, as a result, over 400 million citizens worldwide were suddenly deprived of access to reliable information. Similarly, the freeze on funding for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) halted US international aid, throwing hundreds of news outlets into a critical state of economic instability and forcing some to shut down — particularly in Ukraine (62nd).
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reporters Without Borders press freedom report shows Europe on top, United States at historical low
May 2 (UPI) -- The nonprofit journalism organization Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, announced Friday that press freedom is at its lowest level in history, and the United States is at its all-time low as well. The organization released its RSF World Press Freedom Index and map, which showed the United States has gone down two places to a rank of 57th. RSF noted that local journalism has suffered due to the economic downturn, and that more than 60% of American journalists surveyed in Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania find it "difficult to earn a living wage as a journalist," and 75% feel that "the average media outlet struggles for economic viability." The United States took a 28-place drop, indicating that the American press operates in an environment where hostility is on the rise. Part of the problem is Trump administration funding cuts to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which has impacted newsrooms in outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which in turn has deprived over 400 million citizens around the globe of access to reliable information. The pause on funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development has also had a negative bearing on journalism, as hundreds of news outlets that relied on USAID funding have been weakened, which has led some newsrooms to entirely shut down. One nation where journalism has been particularly affected by the USAID cuts is Ukraine, where the state of the press has been deemed "problematic." Of the factors RSF uses to determine its World Press Freedom Index, financial conditions are considered the main reason the overall world score has dropped to its all-time low this year. Countries under conflict have all suffered, such as Ukraine, which has dropped to 62nd, but Palestine has fallen to 163rd as Israel has reportedly destroyed newsrooms in Gaza and allegedly killed close to 200 journalists. Europe leads in the regional rankings with the European Union and Balkans zone at the top, with Norway placed at the very top of the list, and is considered the only country in the world to have a "good" rating when all the factors used to determine the World Press Freedom Index are measured. Norway has been the top nation on the RSF index for nine consecutive years, followed by Estonia that climbed into second place, the Netherlands at third and Sweden in fourth.
