World Press Freedom Index 2019: India slips two positions, again

For the second year in a row, India has slipped two places and ranks 140 among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders. RWB is an international organisation that monitors attacks on journalists and different forms of censorship. 

Last year, India was at 138, down two places from its 2017 rank of 136. The 2019 report was released on Thursday, April 18.

The latest report shows hatred of journalists has degenerated into violence, contributing to an increase in fear. The report also states that the number of countries regarded as safe—where journalists can work with complete security—has been on a decline. Meanwhile, authoritarian regimes are continuing to tighten their grip on the media, the report adds.

The report also categorises the media climate across 180 countries and territories as “satisfactory”, problematic”, “difficult” and “very serious”. Only 8 per cent of the regions included in the survey report a  “good” media climate; 37 per cent have a media climate that is considered “problematic”.

The report notes that threats, insults and attacks are now part of the “occupational hazards” for journalists in many countries. The report points out that “in India, where critics of Hindu nationalism are branded as ‘anti-Indian’ in online harassment campaigns, six journalists were murdered in 2018”.

“Violence against journalists, including police violence, attacks by Maoist fighters, and reprisals by criminal groups or corrupt politicians, is one of the most striking characteristics of the current state of press freedom in India,” the report states. Pointing out the murders of journalists in 2018, RWB stated these murders highlighted the many dangers Indian journalists face, especially those working for non-English-language media outlets in rural areas.

Attacks against journalists by supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased in the run-up to general elections in the spring of 2019, the report adds.

“Those who espouse Hindutva, the ideology that gave rise to Hindu nationalism, are trying to purge all manifestations of “anti-national” thought from the national debate. The coordinated hate campaigns waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that aggravate Hindutva followers are alarming and include calls for the journalists concerned to be murdered. The campaigns are particularly virulent when the targets are women,” the report adds. In 2018, RWB had highlighted the “deadly threat from Modi’s nationalism”. Journalists Barkha Dutt, among others, have been at the receiving end of death threats.

The 2019 report also addresses India’s #MeToo, when women from across newsrooms came forward with stories of sexual assault and misbehaviour, as well as the use of sedition and criminal prosecutions to gag journalists. It states: “The emergence of a #MeToo movement in the media in 2018 has lifted the veil on many cases of harassment and sexual assault to which women reporters have been subjected. Criminal prosecutions are meanwhile often used to gag journalists critical of the authorities, with some prosecutors invoking Section 124a of the penal code, under which “sedition” is punishable by life imprisonment.”

The report also points out how the “mere threat of such a prosecution encourages self-censorship”.

Addressing the coverage of regions that authorities regard as sensitive, such as Kashmir, the report states, the process continues to be very difficult. “Foreign reporters are barred from Kashmir and the Internet is often disconnected there. When not detained, Kashmiri journalists working for local media outlets are often the targets of violence by paramilitaries acting with the central government’s tacit consent.”

Asia-Pacific regional analysis

The report  presents a stark analysis of the Asia-Pacific region. It states the region with totalitarian propaganda, censorship, intimidation, physical violence and cyber-harassment continues to exhibit all of the problems that can beset journalism. Asia-Pacific region continues to rank third from last.

“The number of murdered journalists was extremely high in Afghanistan (121st), India and Pakistan (down 3 at 142nd). Disinformation is also becoming a big problem in the region. As a result of the manipulation of social networks in Myanmar, anti-Rohingya hate messages have become commonplace and the seven-year jail sentences imposed on two Reuters journalists for trying to investigate the Rohingya genocide was seen as nothing out of the ordinary. Under China’s growing influence, censorship is spreading to Singapore (151st) and Cambodia (down 1 at 143rd). In this difficult environment, the 22-place rises registered by both Malaysia (123rd) and Maldives (98th) highlight the degree to which political change can radically transform the climate for journalists, and how a country’s political ecosystem can directly affect press freedom.”

Methodology: The report is determined by pooling the responses of experts to a questionnaire devised by RWB. The questionnaire has 87 questions which focus on six indicators: pluralism, media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency and infrastructure. This is combined with the data on abuses and violence against journalists during the period evaluated. You can read more about the report and methodology here.