NEWS – Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported a global decline in press freedom, with an average drop of 7.6 points in the World Press Freedom Index

HIGHLIGHTS

• India’s Press Freedom Score:
  • India’s press freedom score decreased from 36.62 to 31.28 in the last year, according to RSF.
  • While India’s rank improved slightly from 161 to 159, it was due to other countries’ rankings slipping rather than India’s progress.
• Factors Affecting Press Freedom in India:
  • The RSF index assesses various factors including political, legal, economic, sociocultural contexts, and security.
  • India’s media environment is described as being under an “unofficial state of emergency” since 2014, with concerns about government influence and harassment campaigns against critical journalists.
• Global Concerns:
  • RSF expressed concerns about press freedom in countries going to polls, highlighting the U.S. as particularly concerning due to recent trends impacting global press freedom.
  • The U.S. saw a decline in press freedom score and ranking