India slips to 161 on World Press Freedom Index; media associations voice concern

“The situation has gone from ‘problematic’ to ‘very bad’ in three other countries: Tajikistan (down 1 at 153rd), India (down 11 at 161st) and Turkey (down 16 at 165th),” the RSF report said.

“The other phenomenon that dangerously restricts the free flow of information is the acquisition of media outlets by oligarchs who maintain close ties with political leaders,” the report, published on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, added.

The Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Club of India, and the Press Association released a joint statement condemning the country’s dip in the index.

“The indices of press freedom have worsened in several countries, including India, according to the latest RSF report,” the joint statement said.

“For developing democracies in the Global South where deep pockets of inequities exist, the media’s role cannot be understated. Likewise the constraints on press freedom due to hostile working conditions like contractorization have to also be challenged. Insecure working conditions can never contribute to a free press,” it added