All over the world, press freedom is being threatened by its supposed guarantors: political authorities. This is evidenced by the latest World Press Freedom Index produced annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). This finding is based on the fact that it was the political indicator that fell the most out of the five indicators used to create the ranking, registering a global average decline of 7.6 points.
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Government fails to protect journalism
A growing number of governments and political authorities are failing to do their part to ensure the best environment for journalism and the right of citizens to reliable, independent and diverse news and information. RSF sees an alarming decline in support and respect for media autonomy, and increasing pressure from states and other political actors.
With more than half of the world’s population going to vote in 2024, RSF highlights the worrying trends revealed in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, one of five indicators detailed in the index. The government is warning of a decline in political indicators. The role of the state and other political forces in protecting press freedom is diminishing. This disempowerment can also go hand in hand with more hostile actions, such as undermining the role of journalists or exploiting the media through harassment and disinformation campaigns. Journalism worthy of its name is the opposite.”
Ann Bocande
RSF Editorial Director
At the international level, this year has been notable for the apparent lack of political will on the part of the international community to enforce the principles of protecting journalists, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 2222. War in Gaza is being recorded in record numbers. Since October 2023, there has been a spate of violations against journalists and the media. More than 100 Palestinian journalists have been killed by the Israeli Defense Forces, at least 22 of them in the line of duty.
Occupied Palestine, which is under constant shelling by Israel, ranks 157th out of 180 countries and territories surveyed in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index overall, but ranks in the bottom 10 when it comes to safety for journalists. (See 2024 World Press Freedom Index Safety Rankings).
Journalism vs. Disinformation in a Super Election Year
2024 will be the biggest election year in world history, but 2023 will also see decisive elections, especially in Latin America, with press freedom and media issues such as Argentina’s Javier Millei (dropping from 26th to 66th place) The plunderers, who call themselves pluralists, have won. In a worrying and symbolic act, the country’s largest news agency was shut down.
Elections are often accompanied by violence against journalists, as in Nigeria (112th) and Democratic Republic of the Congo (123rd). The military regimes that seized power through coups in the Sahel region, particularly Niger (down 19 places to 80th), Burkina Faso (28th to 86th), and Mali (1st to 114th), continue to tighten their control over the media. , obstructing journalists’ interviews. work. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s re-election in Turkiye is also a cause for concern. The country ranks 158th and continues to fall in the index.
In the absence of regulation, there are concerns that generative AI could be used as an arsenal of disinformation for political purposes. Deepfakes now occupy a major position in influencing the outcome of elections. This was proven by the audio deepfake of journalist Monika Todova during the Slovak parliamentary elections (which fell from the 12th to the 29th). This is one of the first recorded cases of this kind of attack on journalists aimed at influencing the outcome of a democratic election. .
Many governments have tightened controls on social media and the internet, restricting access, blocking accounts, and suppressing news and information messages. In Vietnam (174th), journalists who express their views on social media are almost systematically imprisoned. In addition to detaining more journalists in China (172nd) than any other country in the world, the government uses censorship and surveillance policies to regulate online content and limit the spread of information deemed sensitive. We continue to strictly control information channels. or contrary to party policy.
Some political groups incite hatred and distrust of journalists by insulting, discrediting, and threatening them. Other corporations are plotting to take over the media ecosystem, either through state media under their control or privately owned media through acquisition by allied businessmen. Giorgia Meloni’s Italy (46th), where members of the ruling parliamentary coalition are aiming to take over the second-largest news agency (AGI), has dropped five places this year.
Political groups often act as dissemination channels or instigators of disinformation campaigns. In more than three-quarters of the countries evaluated in the index (138 countries), the majority of survey respondents reported that their political actors frequently engage in propaganda and disinformation campaigns. This involvement is reported to be “systematic” in 31 countries.
In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Russia’s repressive methods were particularly impressive in Belarus (down from 10th to 167th), Georgia (103rd), Kyrgyzstan (120th) and Azerbaijan (down from 13th to 164th). Media censorship is being strengthened in a similar fashion. The Kremlin’s influence extends to Serbia (from 7th to 98th), where pro-government media outlets spread Russian propaganda and authorities threaten exiled Russian journalists. Russia (162nd), where Vladimir Putin was unsurprisingly re-elected in 2024, continues to wage war in Ukraine (61st), with major implications for the media ecosystem and the safety of journalists.
best and worst
The overall decline in political indicators has also affected the three companies at the top of the World Press Freedom Index. Norway, which remains in first place, has seen its political score decline, and Ireland (8th), where politicians subject media outlets to judicial threats, has ceded its leading position in the European Union to Denmark (2nd), followed by Sweden. Continue. (The third).
The three Asian countries that ranked last in last year’s index (Vietnam, China and North Korea) have ceded their positions to three countries whose political scores have plummeted: Afghanistan (down 44 places in the political rankings), since the Taliban; He returned to a regime that had relentlessly persecuted people. Syria (down 8 places in political rankings). And Eritrea (down nine places in the political rankings) is now at the bottom of both the political and overall rankings. The last two countries have become lawless zones for the media, with record numbers of journalists detained, missing or taken hostage.
Regional index
Maghreb – The Middle East region is the worst-affected region in the world. 2024 World Press Freedom Index. This is followed by the Asia-Pacific region, where journalism is being suffocated under the weight of authoritarian governments. In Africa, less than 10% of the region is in a ‘very serious’ situation, but almost half of the countries are in a ‘difficult’ situation.
All countries with “good” press freedom are located in Europe, and more specifically within the European Union, which adopted the first Press Freedom Act (EMFA). Ireland has dropped out of the index’s top three countries, replaced by Sweden, but Germany is now one of the top 10 countries. Nevertheless, press freedom is being tested in the EU’s bottom three countries: Hungary, Malta and Greece. Further east in Europe, the conditions for practicing journalism are worsening due to the scale of disinformation and censorship of news organizations accused of undermining national security and terrorism. This is the case in Russia (162nd), Belarus (167th) and Turkmenistan (175th), while in Georgia (down 26 places to 103rd) the ruling party is moving closer to Moscow. Ukraine (61st) rose 18 places as a result of improvements in security indicators (fewer journalists killed) and political indicators.
A major problem in the Americas is that journalists are unable to report on topics related to organized crime, corruption, and the environment for fear of reprisals. The proportion of countries whose situation was classified as “satisfactory” (yellow) decreased significantly from 36% in 2023 to 21% in 2024. The United States, one of the world’s largest economies, dropped 10 places. The press freedom situation is currently “problematic” in almost all countries in South America. The situation is worsening, in part due to the election of press freedom plunderers like Javier Millay and the government’s inability to reduce violence against journalists. Mexico remains the most dangerous country for journalists, with 37 deaths since 2019.
Sub-Saharan Africa was significantly affected by political violence during the 2023 major elections. Currently, more than 8% of her African countries are colored red on the graph, which is twice as much as she will be in 2023. Nigeria, Togo and Madagascar have been hit by waves of repression. of the reporter. The region is characterized by declining security in several Sahel countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.
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In the Middle East and North Africa, the situation is rated as “very serious” in almost half of 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. Palestine, which is occupied and shelled by Israeli forces, is also the deadliest country for journalists, coming in at the bottom of the index. Qatar is currently the only country in the region where the situation is not classified as either ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious’.
Upcoming elections in all parts of the world are likely to place significant pressure on journalists.
