India is falling in the World Press Freedom Index
India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index dropped from 142 to 150 this year, according to Reporters Without Borders. The report highlights challenges such as violence against journalists, politically biased media, and media ownership concentration in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India’s press freedom ranking fell from 142 in 2021 to 150 this year, according to global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which published its 2022 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) on Tuesday.
The report highlights the degree of freedom that journalists, news organizations and netizens have in each country and respective governments’ efforts to respect such freedom.
“The violence against journalists, the politically partisan media and the concentration of media ownership all demonstrate that press freedom is in crisis in the world’s largest democracy, ruled since 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the embodiment of the Hindu nationalist right,” the report said.
The indicators used by RSF were based on a quantitative survey of press freedom violations and abuses against journalists and media, along with questionnaire responses from hundreds of press freedom experts.
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