Freedom index finds journalism blocked in over 130 countries

PARIS: The annual report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said yesterday that journalism was at least partly blocked in nearly three-quarters of the 180 countries surveyed.

Its World Press Freedom Index found 73 countries ‘totally blocked or seriously impeded’ journalism, while it was ‘constrained’ in 59 others, adding that many governments had used the pandemic to worsen repression.

“Journalism is the best vaccine against disinformation,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, its production and distribution are too often blocked by political, economic, technological and, sometimes, even cultural factors.” Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, China and Djibouti fared worst overall in this year’s RSF ranking.

Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Costa Rica were ranked highest.

The Middle East and North Africa region continues to be the most repressive for journalists, the report found, highlighting the worsening situation in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria over the past year.

“In this region, still the toughest and most dangerous for journalists, the pandemic has exacerbated the problems that have long plagued the press, which was already in its death throes,” it said.