Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders warned of declining government support for press freedom as it unveiled its annual world rankings on Friday, highlighting Argentina among the countries where the situation has deteriorated.

Paris

States Doing Less to Support Press Freedom, Says Watchdog

Reporters Without Borders, a prominent media watchdog, has sounded the alarm over diminishing global government support for press freedom. The organization made this assertion as it released its annual world rankings, which assess the state of press freedom across different countries.

According to the latest rankings released by the group, there has been a concerning trend with a decline in press freedom worldwide. The organization points to political authorities and governments, who, rather than safeguarding press freedom, are identified as the ones threatening it. Reporters Without Borders highlighted that out of the various indicators assessed, the political category witnessed the most significant deterioration.

Norway continues to lead the ranking, indicative of its strong press freedom infrastructure, while Eritrea is ranked at the bottom, reflecting dire conditions for journalists. Among the nations experiencing a notable decline, Argentina has fallen dramatically, dropping 26 places to rank 66th. This decline is attributed to President Javier Millet's controversial decision to shut down the public press agency TELAM, accusing it of disseminating propaganda.

A stark finding from the report is the designation of the Palestinian territories as the deadliest place for journalists, with over 100 Palestinian reporters having lost their lives since the conflict's inception. The report also sheds light on the press freedom conditions in populous countries like India and China, both being in the bottom 25 of the ranking. China, in particular, was labeled as the "world's largest prison for journalists" by Reporters Without Borders, marking a concerning assessment for press conditions in the country.



States doing less to support press freedom, says watchdog

A stark warning that government support for press freedom is in decline. On Friday, Reporters Without Borders unveiled its annual world rankings. In this video published on their website, the NGO accused a growing number of governments of failing journalists. One thing is very clear at the global level, that press freedom is being threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors, political authorities. Of the five indicators that make up countries overall scores, it is the political indicator that has fallen the most. This means that governments and political parties of all tendencies are increasingly neglecting their role in protecting press freedom. Norway retained its top position in the rankings, while Eritrea props up the list. One of the more significant declines was Argentina, dropping 26 places down to 66. This fall was based on President Javier Millet's decision to close the public press agency TELAM in March, which he accused of propaganda. The Palestinian territories lie in 157th in the rankings, described as Reporters Without Borders as the deadliest country for journalists. Over 100 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. India and China, who make up 35% of the world's population, are both in the bottom 25, with the latter described as the world's largest prison for journalists.

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