India slips 11 ranks in press freedom to 161 of 180 countries

NEW DELHI: India has slipped to the 161st rank in terms of press freedom out of 180 countries ranked, according to the 21st edition of the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday. With 11 ranks worse than 2022 — when it stood at 150 — India now finds itself among the 31 countries where RSF believes the situation for journalists is “very serious”.

“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 BJP and the embodiment of the Hindu nationalist right,” RSF states in its opening remarks on why India has been classified this way.

The World Press Freedom Index comprises five variables, for which scores are computed and then countries ranked. The five sub-indicators are the Political indicator, Economic indicator, Legislative indicator, Social indicator and the Security indicator.

The most worrying collapse is in the security indicator category, where India’s rank is 172. This means, only eight countries rank worse than India in terms of ensuring security of journalists — China, Mexico, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine and Myanmar.

Even in terms of safety of journalists, India is performing poorly RSF notes: “With an average of three or four journalists killed every year, India is one of the most dangerous countries for the media.”