World Press Freedom Index, 2021

World Press Freedom Index, 2021

Part of: GS Prelims and GS – II – Polity and Governance 

In news

• The World Press Freedom Index, 2021 has again ranked India at 142nd out of 180 countries.
• Produced by: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) – a French NGO 

Key takeaways 

• Also, for a year, on directions from Cabinet Secretary, an index monitoring cell worked to improve the rankings. 
• A meeting was also held between the Indian Ambassador to France and the RSF officials to lobby for a change in the ranking.
• In 2016, India’s rank was 133, which has steadily climbed down to 142 in 2020.
• The RSF report says India is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly. 
• They are exposed to every kind of attack, even police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials.
• Top countries: Norway followed by Finland and Denmark. 
• Bottom country: Eritrea 
• China is ranked 177. North Korea at 179 and Turkmenistan at 178.