The annual World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Without Borders, highlights a concerning trend: attacks on journalists are on the rise globally. These attacks encompass various forms, from detaining journalists to spreading misinformation and silencing independent voices.
As more than half of the world’s population prepares to vote in 2024, governments are failing to safeguard journalism, according to the organization. The situation has become so dire that over 300 BBC journalists are now operating in exile due to escalating assaults on their reporting.
Reporters Without Borders, known as RSF, points out that certain political factions exacerbate hatred and distrust towards journalists by demeaning them, discrediting their work, and even issuing threats.
RSF’s index evaluates 180 countries based on journalists’ ability to work freely without interference or intimidation. While Norway maintains its top position, Eritrea, labeled an “information desert,” now sits at the bottom, replacing last year’s lowest-ranked country, North Korea. The bottom 10 also include China, Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria.
Meanwhile, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland, and Germany make up the top 10.
In the UK, a three-place rise to 23rd position is noted, although RSF criticizes the dominance of News UK, Reach Plc, and Daily Mail and General Trust in the media landscape.
The report sheds light on authoritarian regimes in the Middle East tightening their control over news and information, with Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iran among the world’s biggest jailers of journalists. The RSF report also reveals a grim statistic: at least 100 journalists have been killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and May 1, 2024.
The United States has dropped 10 places to 55th due to escalating attacks on journalists by political entities. The report also calls out the highly concentrated model of media ownership in the US, suggesting that profit often takes precedence over public interest journalism.
In Russia, ranked 162nd, RSF highlights the state’s ongoing assault on journalism, leading to over 1,500 journalists fleeing the country since the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The plight of journalists is further emphasized by the doubling of BBC World Service journalists forced into exile since 2020, particularly in Russia, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia. Many face imprisonment, death threats, and harassment.
Finally, RSF sounds the alarm on the rising use of generative artificial intelligence and deepfakes, labeling their utilization in disseminating misinformation as “disturbing.”
