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World Press Freedom Index UPSC CSE

World Press Freedom Index

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Summary of World Press Freedom Index

The World Press Freedom Index 2023 is published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and it assesses the state of press freedom globally. Norway leads for the seventh consecutive year, with India ranking 161 out of 180 countries, dropping 11 places since 2022. India's deteriorating ranking as per the report is due to media takeovers, political motivation against online critics, and challenges in Kashmir. The government does not agree with the ranking, citing a low sample size and questioning the new methodology. The significance of Press freedom lies in ensuring democratic accountability, informing the public, freedom of expression, human rights protection, and maintaining checks and balances. While India has constitutional safeguards and has taken various measures to ensure press freedom, there is a need to address the press freedom challenges by strengthening RTI and promoting transparency.

Background of World Press Freedom Index

RSF is an independent NGO headquartered in Paris, whose purpose is defending and advocating for media freedom. RSF holds consultative status with esteemed organizations like the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF).

Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) defines press freedom as the journalists' capacity, both as individuals and collectives, to choose, create, and disseminate news in the public interest, free from political, economic, legal, and social interference, and without threats to their physical and mental well-being.

Introduction of World Press Freedom Index

The World Press Freedom Index has been published annually since 2002 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The purpose of the report is comparing the extent of freedom available to journalists and media across 180 countries. The report evaluates and ranks these nations based on press freedom levels, considering aspects like censorship, media autonomy, and the safety of journalists. It's important to note that the index doesn't serve as an indicator of journalism quality, but only of the freedom available to the journalists.

About the World Press Freedom Index

Evaluation and Scoring Criteria

The evaluation of each country or territory's score involves assessing five indicators:

  1. political context,
  2. legal framework,
  3. economic context,
  4. sociocultural context,
  5. safety.

The rankings in the Index are determined by scores ranging from 0 to 100 assigned to each country or territory. A score of 100 represents the optimum level of press freedom, while 0 indicates the least favorable conditions.

Reasons behind poor performance of India

India’s Stand On Press Freedom Index

The government does not endorse the ranking and the conclusions presented by the Index for various reasons, such as:

Significance of Press freedom

Measures taken for Press Freedom in India

Conclusion of World Press Freedom Index

Press is the fourth pillar of democracy. As per World Press Freedom Index, restrictions on press can cause suppression of Freedom of Expression, erodes accountability in democracy, promotes misinformation and propaganda and ultimately erodes the public trust. There is an urgent need to strengthen legal protections such as RTI(Right to Information), set up a strong and independent regulatory framework and promote transparency in media ownership. Resolving the matter of press freedom in India needs collaborative efforts from diverse stakeholders with a dedication towards preserving free press within a democratic society.

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