India slips in World Press Freedom Index, ranks 161 out of 180 countries

• World Press Freedom Day: Right of a journalist to diligently report facts, says Sadhguru
• Stop targeting media and truth: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
• GJU president BR Prajapathi urges Centre and States to stop implementing the Labour Codes; introduce ‘One Nation, One Pension’ for journalists

NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD/CHENNAI/NEW DELHI, MAY 3

India is not in a position to safeguard the freedom of the press either. As per the reports, India’s rank fell to 161 among the 180 countries in 2023. It has never performed so badly since 1995 when RSF started producing reports on the violence and abuse of journalists across the world. In 2022, India’s rank was 150.

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.

According to its reports, the number of detentions has increased by 13.4 per cent in 2022 in comparison to the previous year. Notably, the media watchdog has never seen such a rise in the number of women detunes. Currently, 78 among 533 are women – a steep 30 per cent rise from 2021. China, with its known record of attacks on the press, is leading the list with 110 journalists in jail, the third on the list is the Islamic Republic of Iran which has been using armed forces against the reporters since the eruption of massive protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.

According to the annual prison reports of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), until December 2022, seven Indian journalists were behind bars – Aasif Sultan, Siddique Kappan, Gautam Navlakha, Manan Dar, Sajad Gul, Fahad Shah, and Rupesh Kumar Singh. Though Kappan got bail after a long legal battle and confronting multiple efforts to re-arrest and re-implicate him, the others are not so fortunate to get back to their work.

Stop targeting media and truth: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

Stop detaining & imprisoning journalists for doing their jobs.

Stop the threats & attacks.

Stop the lies & disinformation.

Stop targeting truth & truth-tellers.

As journalists stand up for truth, the world must stand with them.#WorldPressFreedomDay

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 3, 2023

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that there has been a 50% rise in the killing of media workers in 2022. Guterres added that the press “is the foundation of democracy and justice” and it is under threat.

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations chief said that the media is under attack in every corner of the world and warned countries to stop the targeting of truth and those who report it.

GJU urges Centre and States to stop implementing the Labour Codes

Gujarat Journalists Union president BR Prajapathi said, “On this World Press Freedom Day, we ask the Centre to stop attacks on the media. We urge Parliament and the Judiciary to strike down sedition and defamation laws that are repeatedly used against journalists and other citizens. We ask that draconian laws like UAPA and PMLA be revised urgently. Parliament must review the new rules for digital media that will strike the death knell for independent media.

We urge the Centre and the States to stop implementing the Labour Codes, which have subsumed the Working Journalists Act. This Act has played a pivotal role in protecting freedom of press. We also urge the Centre to immediately announce a new tripartite Wage Board for the entire industry. We demand a special law to protect mediapersons and the entire media. We also demand to introduce ‘One Nation, One Pension’ for journalists.” 

World Press Freedom Day: Right of a journalist to diligently report facts, says Sadhguru

Tweeting on World Press Freedom Day, Sadhguru said, “Responsible journalism is the hallmark of a society vested in democracy. The right of a citizen to social knowledge can only be safeguarded by the right of a journalist to diligently report facts. -Sg”

Responsible journalism is the hallmark of a society vested in democracy. The right of a citizen to social knowledge can only be safeguarded by the right of a journalist to diligently report facts. -Sg #WorldPressFreedomDay

— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) May 3, 2023

Celebrated every year on this day, the day highlights the crucial role of media and its effective contribution to the society. Media plays an important role in functioning of democratic society, brining issues to the fore and creating platforms for the governments of the day to be accountable to its citizens.

Today is World Press Freedom Day. Tamil Nadu has many literary legends including Mahakavi Bharathi, who was imprisoned during the freedom struggle and instilled the spirit of freedom through his arousing essays and poems against the British Government…. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/MkFV3hgaic

— RAJ BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@rajbhavan_tn) May 3, 2023