India's status in World Press Freedom Index (2024)

India's status in World Press Freedom Index (2024)

GS-2: Political Issues Related to Fundamental Rights and Freedom

(IAS/UPPCS)

Relevant for Prelims:

World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB), Article 19.

Relevant for Mains:

World Press Freedom Index (2024), Global Outlook, India's Position, Key Findings/Issues, Way Forward, Conclusion.

06/05/2024

Source: TH

Context:

  • Recently, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released the latest edition of the World Press Freedom Index for the year 2024.
  • According to this report, India's position in the World Press Freedom Index has declined from 36.62 to 31.28.

About freedom of the press:

  • RSF defines freedom of the press as 'the freedom of journalists individually and collectively to select, produce and publish news in the public interest, free from political, economic, legal and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety.

World Press Freedom Index (2024)

Global Scenario:

  • The World Press Freedom Index (2024) revealed a two-fold increase in 'polarisation' exacerbated by information anarchy.
  • This refers to media polarization that promotes division within countries, as well as polarization between countries internationally.
  • Norway, Denmark and Sweden are in the top positions in terms of press freedom, while Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea are in the bottom three.
  • The countries where press freedom is “good” are all in Europe, and particularly within the European Union, which has adopted its first media freedom law (EMFA).

Asia Pacific region:

  • This is the second most challenging area in the world for journalism.
  • Five countries are among the ten most dangerous countries in the world for journalism. Myanmar (171st), China (172nd), North Korea (177th), Vietnam (174th) and Afghanistan (178th).

Middle East and North Africa:

  • The situation is 'extremely serious' in almost half the countries.
  • The United Arab Emirates joins eight other countries in the red zone on the map: Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Palestine, Iraq, Bahrain, Syria and Egypt.

India’s Status:

  • India's rank improved from 161 in 2023 to 159 in 2024.
  • However, this increase was mainly due to declines in the rankings of other countries.
  • India's score declined in all categories except the security indicator in the press freedom questionnaire, which includes political context, legal framework, economic context, socio-cultural context and security.

Indian neighboring countries’ Status:

  • Pakistan is at 152nd, Sri Lanka at 15th, Nepal at 74th and Maldives at 106th.
  • Afghanistan is ranked 178th, Bangladesh 165th and Myanmar 171st.

About the World Press Freedom Index:

  • It is published annually since 2002 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which ranks 180 countries and territories according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
  • This index is compiled annually by RSF by assessing the ability of journalists to work independently and cover news.

About Reporters without Borders (RWB):

  • It is an international non-profit organization governed by the principles of democratic governance. It protects the right of every person to have access to free and reliable information.

Key Findings/Issues of the Index (2024):

Global press freedom in danger:

  • The political officials who are responsible for protecting the freedom of the press are becoming a threat to it.
  • Press freedom has seen a decline, with an average decline of 7.6 points globally.

Use of AI for election manipulation:

  • The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) is raising concerns, particularly its use in disinformation for political purposes.
  • Deep fakes are now being used to influence elections.

Failure of governments to protect journalism:

  • An increasing number of governments and political authorities are not fulfilling their role as guarantors of the best possible environment for journalism and the public's right to reliable, independent and diverse news and information.

Increase in state pressure and hostile actions:

  • There has been increased pressure from the state or other political actors to undermine the role of journalists, or even subsidize the media through harassment or disinformation campaigns.

Lack of international will:

  • At the international level, there is a clear lack of political will on the part of the international community to implement the principles of protection of journalists, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (on the protection of journalists and related media personnel in armed conflict).

Freedom of the Press in the Indian Constitution:

  • Press plays an important role in a democratic society. It acts as a news gathering agency for the people.
  • It is the means by which people receive free flow of information and ideas, which is essential for intelligent self-governance, i.e. democracy.
  • In India, freedom of the press is recognized as part of the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution.
  • It has been upheld in various landmark judgments of the Supreme Court of India.
  • However, as stated in Article 19(2), this right may be exercised in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, public order, decency or morality or in the case of contempt of court, defamation or incitement to commit an offence. Appropriate restrictions can be imposed in this regard. While the Constitution provides for freedom of the press, it also mandates that the press must be responsible.
  • Therefore, freedom of media is not complete freedom.

Way forward:

  • The press must ensure that the news they present is accurate and in the interest of the people.
  • The balance between freedom and responsibility is important to maintain a healthy democracy.
  • The World Press Freedom Index highlights the challenges facing journalists and the media, and underlines the importance of a free press in maintaining a healthy democracy.

Conclusion:

  • Freedom of the press is a fundamental right enshrined in the Indian Constitution. It plays an important role in the functioning of a democratic society. However, with this freedom comes press responsibility.

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Mains Exam Question:

Examine the role of constitutional provisions in addressing the issues related to the decline in India's position in the World Press Freedom Index (2024).