India slips 11 ranks in press freedom index, now 161 of 180 countries

• In comparison, Pakistan climbed up seven ranks to reach 150 this year, an improvement from last year’s 157th rank
• Press freedom is in crisis in “the world’s largest democracy”, ruled since 2014 by Modi… the embodiment of the Hindu nationalist right.”
• Media takeovers by oligarchs close to Prime Minister Modi have jeopardised pluralism

India’s ranking in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index has slipped to 161 out of 180 countries, according to the latest report released by global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In 2022, India was ranked at 150.

Ever since the Narendr Modi came to power at the Centre, India’s ranking saw a declining tread. In the last nine years, the country’s ranking has slipped by 21 ranks from 140 in 2014. In comparison, Pakistan has fared better when it comes to media freedom as it was placed at 150, an improvement from last year’s 157th rank. Sri Lanka also made significant improvement on the index, ranking 135th this year as against 146th in 2022.

The last three slots were occupied by Asian countries- North Korea (180), China (179) and Vietnam (178). Surprisingly India’s neighbours like Afghanistan (152), Pakistan (150) and Sri Lanka (135) showed a better ranking of press freedom.

The RSP in its opening remarks about India states: “The violence against journalists, the politically partisan media and the concentration of media ownership all demonstrate that press freedom is in crisis in “the world’s largest democracy”, ruled since 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the embodiment of the Hindu nationalist right.”

Falling in the red zone of ‘very serious’, India ranks among the bottom 10 countries when it comes to the safety of journalists. The rank has dropped from 163 to 172 for the indicator. This means, only eight countries rank worse than India out of 180 on this parameter.

The World Press Freedom Index comprises five variables, for which scores are computed and then countries ranked. The five sub-indicators are the Political indicator, Economic indicator, Legislative indicator, Social indicator and the Security indicator.

The security indicator “evaluates the ability to identify, gather and disseminate news and information in accordance with journalistic methods and ethics, without unnecessary risk of bodily harm, psychological or emotional distress, or professional harm resulting from, for example, loss of one’s job, confiscation of professional equipment, or ransacking of media installations.”

The report underscores mutually beneficial relationships between media companies and the Modi government. It says: “The prime example is undoubtedly the Reliance Industries group led by Mukesh Ambani, now a personal friend of Modi’s, who owns more than 70 media outlets that are followed by at least 800 million Indians. Similarly, the takeover of the NDTV channel at the end of 2022 by tycoon Gautam Adani, who is also very close to Narendra Modi, signalled the end of pluralism in the mainstream media.”

-INDIA NEWS STREAM