Red mark on freedom of press in India

India, the largest democracy in the world, may claim to have a free press; however, in terms of freedom of the press, its performance continues to be dismal. It ranks 136 out of 180 countries, said a report published by Reporters Without Borders (RWB). In fact, India’s ranking has gone down by three points since 2016.

The report says that the “rising tide of nationalism around the World – exemplified by US President Donald Trump – is a big threat to freedom of the press in many democracies” including India.

It is worth recalling that – since the Modi government took charge – India has seen a rise of nationalism, which according to analysts has undermined many institutions developed over the years, including free press.

While India fell three points down from its previous position, Pakistan climbed to 139 by gaining eight points in this year. It is more surprising, perhaps sad also that countries like Afghanistan, Burma, Qatar and the UAE rank higher than India.

The purpose behind releasing press freedom index is to “highlight the danger of a tipping point in the state of media freedom, especially in leading democratic countries”, according to RWB.

Norway ranks at number one and North Korea is right at the bottom of the list. In terms of freedom of the press, the United States ranks at 43 and the United Kingdom at 40. Ranking of both the countries tipped down by two points in a year’s time.

“The obsession with surveillance and violations of the right to the confidentiality of sources have contributed to the continuing decline of many countries previously regarded as virtuous,” read the report.

Reporters Without Borders (RWB) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organisation that promotes and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press. The organisation, with its head office in Paris, has consultant status at the United Nations.