World Press Freedom Index 2024

About World Press Freedom Index 2024:

• It is an annual report released by the global media watchdogReporters Without Borders (RSF). It ranks 180 countries on the ability of journalists to work and report freely and independently.
• The press freedom questionnaire covers five categories: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and security. 
• It only deals with press freedomand does not measure the quality of journalism in the countries it assesses, nor does it look at human rights violations in general.
• Highlights of the 2024 Index:
  • It shows an overall decline in press freedom globally and a steep rise in the political repression of journalists and independent media outlets, noting that press freedoms fell by an average of 7.6 points globally.
  • Norway topped the ranking, while Denmark was on the second rank.
  • The countries where press freedom is “good” are all in Europe, and more specifically within the European Union, which has adopted its first media freedom law (EMFA). 
  • The Maghreb and Middle East regions performed the worst in terms of restrictions on press freedom by government forces.
  • Eritrea was at the bottom of the list, with Syria just ahead of it. 
  • India’s Ranking:
    • India’s rank improved from 161 in 2023 to 159 in 2024, but this was because other countries had slipped in their rankings. 
    • Scores for India dropped (worsened) in all but the security indicator.
    • India is ranked behind Turkey, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which are ranked at positions 158, 152, and 150, respectively.