World Press Freedom Index 2025

World Press Freedom Index 2025

Why in News? 

Recently, the World Press Freedom Index 2025 was released by Reporters Without Borders. It showed changes in the rankings of many countries. 

What is World Press Freedom Index?

• • Introduction:
    • Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an independent NGO, releases the annual World Press Freedom Index to evaluate the state of press freedom worldwide.
    • It was first released in 2002.
    • This index reflects the real situation of media freedom available to journalists, news organizations, and digital media users (netizens) in different countries.

• Objective:

• • The main objective is to assess how freely journalists can work without fear, pressure, or interference.
  • It aims to show how free journalism is in a country and how much the government and institutions respect or suppress this freedom.
  • It also raises awareness among journalists and media organizations and holds governments accountable.

Criteria and Process for World Press Freedom Index

• Criteria: The index is based on five key categories:
  • Political Context: It assesses how freely journalists can criticize the political leadership. Does the government support or suppress media freedom?
  • Legal Framework: It evaluates the legal setup for the press. Are there punitive laws against the media? Is public media independent?
  • Economic Context: This checks if media institutions have economic independence. Are they controlled through ads, resources, or government policies?
  • Sociocultural Context: It examines the social or cultural pressures on journalists. Are there restrictions on reporting certain topics due to religion, caste, or culture?
  • Safety: This is a very sensitive category. It looks into whether journalists face mental harassment or professional threats.
• Process: 
  • Survey: RSF collects data every year from journalists, researchers, legal experts, and human rights activists using a special questionnaire.
    • The index covers more than 150 countries, offering a global snapshot of the real conditions journalists face.
  • Evaluation: RSF then gives each country a score based on the five categories.
    • A higher score means greater press freedom.

Global Trends in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index

• Top Three Countries:
  • For the seventh year in a row, Norway tops the list, setting the global benchmark for journalist safety.
  • Estonia (2nd) and Netherlands (3rd) have also shown strong commitment to press freedom.
• Bottom Three Countries:
  • Eritrea holds the lowest rank at 180th, followed by North Korea at 179th and China at 178th, where the media is fully under government control.
• India and Its Neighbors:
  • India is ranked 151st. Journalists here face challenges like political pressure and conditional funding.
  • Pakistan is at 158th, where military and extremist threats endanger the media.
  • Bhutan is ranked 152nd, with peaceful governance but limited media access and government influence.
• Rankings of Major Countries:
  • The United States is at 57th, dropping two places from 55th in the previous ranking.
    • Political polarization and threats to journalists are the main reasons.
  • Due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Palestine is at 163rd, with over 200 journalists killed and newsrooms destroyed.
  • The United Kingdom is at 20th, where press freedom is relatively safe.
  • Israel ranks 112th, affected by journalist deaths during the Gaza conflict.
  • Russia is at 171st, where the government has established complete control over the media.
  • Afghanistan is at 175th, with journalists at extreme risk after the Taliban regime took over.
• Political Control:
  • Countries like India, Lebanon, Bulgaria, and Armenia show dominance of politically and economically driven media. Funding from political leaders and business groups limits media freedom.
• Dominance of Tech Companies:
  • A large part of advertising revenue now goes to tech giants like Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
  • This makes it difficult for local and independent media to survive.

Major Factors Affecting Press Freedom in the World

• Political Interference: The biggest threat to press freedom comes from political interference. When governments interfere in the functioning of the media, it destroys the independence of journalism. In many countries, governments put pressure on journalists and media houses to write in their favor.
• Digital Surveillance: Digital surveillance and censorship have become another major threat to press freedom. Nowadays, governments and private companies are monitoring the media, which seriously affects independent journalism. Monitoring and blocking of content on social media platforms is creating a new challenge for journalism.
• Fake News: Fake news and misinformation are among the main reasons for weakening press freedom. With the growing influence of social media, false information is spreading rapidly. It has now become difficult to distinguish between official information and fake reports, leading to polarization and confusion in society.
• Harassment: Attacks and harassment of journalists have the most dangerous impact on press freedom. In many countries around the world, journalists face violence, arrest, and threats. In countries like Gaza and Myanmar, journalists face heavy pressure from government forces and terrorist groups.

Analysis of India’s Situation and Performance

• India has received 151st ranking in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, which shows some improvement from last year’s 159th rank.
• RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has identified India as the “world’s largest democracy”, but there is still a crisis in terms of press freedom.
• New laws introduced by the current government, such as the Data Protection Act 2023 and the Telecom Act 2023, are having a serious impact on journalism.
• The report also states that due to the nexus between the government and big media business families, the media is now in a state of “informal emergency.”
• The Reliance Industries Group owns more than 70 media outlets, reaching about 800 million people.
• In India, journalists face attacks, online harassment, and threats. In sensitive regions like Kashmir, journalists are harassed.

Key Institutions Related to Press Freedom in India

• Press Council of India (PCI): The Press Council of India was established under the Press Council Act, 1978. It is a statutory body whose purpose is to maintain ethical standards in journalism and protect the freedom of the press.
• News Broadcasters Association (NBA): The NBA is a self-regulatory body that represents private news channels. It works to implement ethical codes, resolve complaints, and ensure transparency and responsibility in television journalism.
• Editors Guild of India: This is an independent organization that includes editors of the country’s leading newspapers and magazines. Its purpose is to protect journalists’ rights, support editorial independence, and raise voice against attacks on the press.
• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: This ministry of the Government of India is the central body for media-related policymaking and administration. It decides on broadcasting policies, film certification, advertisement standards, and publicity regulations.

Essential Measures to Ensure Press Freedom

• Autonomy and Powers: Institutions like the Press Council of India (PCI) are currently limited to giving advice. They should be given legal powers to take punitive action in cases of attacks, pressure, or censorship on journalists. Also, a politically free appointment system should be implemented in such institutions.
• Ensuring Financial Independence: At present, most media houses depend on large corporate or political organizations, which affects their editorial freedom. The government should create a policy to provide financial aid to independent and non-profit media platforms.
• Clear Policy on Censorship: A separate independent digital media regulatory body should be formed, which balances between tech companies and governments and ensures access to information for journalists and citizens.
• Protection of Journalists: Incidents of attacks or threats on journalists are increasing. There is a need for a “Journalist Protection Law” which ensures speedy justice, protection of privacy, and safety from state harassment.