The Secretary-General of the United Nations observed World Press Freedom Day by declaring that the press is under attack all around the world and cautioning countries against punishing the truth and those who expose it. Antonio Guterres on press freedom According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the number of media professionals killed in 2022 has increased by 50%. Additionally, Guterres emphasised how crucial the press is to upholding democracy and justice and how seriously threatened it is right now.As reported by Reporters Without Borders, 55 journalists and four media professionals were killed in 2022 while carrying out their jobs. In a video message to commemorate the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a warning that hate speech and propaganda are endangering the truth and concealing the lines between science and conspiracies. The UN General Assembly established World Press Freedom Day in December 1993, and it is celebrated annually on May 3.All our freedom depends on press freedom.But in every corner of the world, freedom of the press is under attack.On #WorldPressFreedomDay & every day, the world must stand with journalists as they stand for the truth. pic.twitter.com/9bdDzTv4QY— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 3, 2023Guterres used Russia as an example of a nation with deteriorating media freedom. He noted that under Russian law, individuals who publish information about the military that is considered false by Moscow could be imprisoned for up to 15 years. Additionally, Guterres brought up the case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was taken into custody by Russia in March on suspicion of espionage.Image: TwitterThe UN head also spoke out against the intimidation and incarceration of media professionals offline as well as online, in addition to the situation in Russia. He voiced alarm over the high rate of internet aggression and threats against female journalists.The head of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, expressed similar worries to Guterres about the situation of freedom of the press during a recent event that UNESCO hosted at the United Nations in New York. She emphasised how the media world has changed in the digital era and how there is a growing demand for independent, professional, and free journalism. Azoulay criticised and emphasised the unacceptable nature of the attacks on and intimidation of journalists. Azoulay declared, “We find ourselves at a new crossroads,” underlining the requirement for collective action to preserve and safeguard media independence.World Press Freedom Index 2023India has slipped from 150th place in the 2022 edition of the Press Freedom Index to 161st place in the 2023 edition, according to Reporters Without Borders publication of the index on World Press Freedom Day. This is a lower ranking than Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have risen to places 152 and 150, respectively. Bangladesh (163), Turkey (165), Saudi Arabia (170), and Iran (177) are other nations that trail India in terms of rankings. At 179 and 180, respectively, China and North Korea occupy the last place.🔴 #RSFIndex RSF unveils the 2023 World Press Freedom Index:1: Norway 🇳🇴2: Ireland 🇮🇪3: Denmark 🇩🇰24: France 🇫🇷26: United Kingdom 🇬🇧45: United States 🇺🇸68: Japan 🇯🇵92: Brazil 🇧🇷161: India 🇮🇳136: Algeria 🇩🇿179: China 🇨🇳180: North Korea 🇰🇵https://t.co/5hHMzwc8KJ pic.twitter.com/Ji3HZcCywo— RSF (@RSF_inter) May 3, 2023The ranking is determined by how well each nation performs in five major areas: political context, legal system, economic context, sociocultural factors, and journalists safety. Indias rankings were best in the social indicator category (143) and worst in the area for journalists safety (172). The continually low ranking of India in the Press Freedom Index has gotten worse this year, and the nation now has the lowest ranking in years. The central government, however, had previously disregarded the reports country-wise rankings and referred to Reporters Without Borders as a “foreign” NGO.
