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Journalism of Courage
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your UPSC Current Affairs knowledge nugget for today on National Press Day and World Press Freedom Index.
1. Press Council of India (PCI) is a statutory autonomous body set up in 1966 under the Indian Press Council Act, 1965. The 1965 Act was later repealed in 1975, and a new Act was subsequently enacted.
2. Under the Press Council Act, 1978, PCI was reconstituted in 1979 with the twin objectives of preserving the freedom of press and of maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and the news agencies in India and also to inculcate the principles of self-regulation among the press.
3. According to the PCI, it functions “as a moral watchdog to ensure that not only did the press maintain the high standards expected from this powerful medium but also that it was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors.”
4. Most importantly, what sets PCI aside from most press or media councils across the world is that it can exercise authority “even over the instruments of the state in its duty to safeguard the independence of the press.”
5. The PCI is headed by a Chairman who by convention, is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. Besides, the PCI comprises of 28 members and the Council is re-constituted as per the provisions under section 5(3) of the Press Council Act, 1978.
6. PCI has formulated ‘Norms of Journalistic Conduct’ which the Journalists and Newspapers have to follow. The Council takes cognizance, suo-motu or on complaints, of the contents in print media which are in violation of the ‘Norms of Journalistic Conduct’.
1. In 2025, global press freedom is being threatened by growing economic pressures on journalists and newsrooms, adding to the already precarious nature of the profession subjected to socio-political and legal challenges.
2. Witnessing a troubling downward trend, its global landscape is being described as a “difficult situation” for the first time in history, according to new findings of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index 2025.
| What is Reporters Without Borders? |
| Reporters Without Borders or Reporters Sans Frontiers (in French) is a global media watchdog headquartered in Paris, France, and it publishes a yearly report on press freedom in countries across the world. “We are neither a trade union nor a representative of media companies”, it states on its website. |
3. Norway led the list in 2025, as it did last year, followed by Scandinavian and European countries that have consistently ranked high on press freedom surveys, supported by strong legal protections and a diverse media economy.
| Top 3 Countries with the Best Press Freedom in 2025 | |||
| Rank | Country | Global Score | Political |
| 1 | Norway | 92.31 | 96.22 |
| 2 | Estonia | 89.46 | 90.87 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 88.64 | 89.95 |
Source: RSF – World Press Freedom Index
4. Eritrea is at the bottom-most this year, followed by countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, which experience a worrying deterioration of 80% of the economic score alongside persistent polarisation and repression.
| Bottom 3 Countries with the Worst Press Freedom in 2025 | ||
| Rank | Country | Global Score |
| 180 | Eritrea | 11.32 |
| 179 | North Korea | 12.64 |
| 178 | China | 14.8 |
Source: RSF – World Press Freedom Index
5. India ranked 151st with a total score of 32.96 in the World Press Freedom Index in 2025, moving up 8 places from 159th last year.
6. Out of 180 countries assessed, 160 face significant challenges regarding the financial stability of media outlets, notably affected in the United States (ranked 57th, a decline of 2 places from the previous year), Tunisia (129th, down 11 places), and Argentina (87th, down 21 places).
7. Political instability further exacerbates the media economy, with particular difficulties in Palestine (163rd) and a notable decline in Israel (112th, down 11 places).
8. The concentration of media ownership also threatens media diversity and encourages self-censorship, affecting 46 countries, including well-placed nations like Australia (29th), Canada (21st), the Czechia (10th), and France (25th, down 4 places). In some instances, such control is entirely state-owned, as seen in Russia (171st, down 9 places).
9. Editorial interference is a widespread issue, reported in over half of the countries evaluated (92 out of 180). In 21 countries—including Rwanda (146th), the United Arab Emirates (164th), and Vietnam (173rd)—media owners routinely interfere with editorial decisions, according to RSF.
1. In its website’s Methodology section, RSF states, “Press freedom is defined as the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety.” The index then compares levels of press freedom globally based on this definition.
2. It develops a score between 0 (for the worst possible performance in terms of securing press freedom) and 100 (the best possible score). This score is based on two indicators:
(i) a tally of abuses against media and journalists in connection with their work, arrived at by monitoring and analysing news stories on journalists being imprisoned or killed.
(ii) a qualitative analysis of the situation in each country or territory based on the responses of “press freedom specialists”, including journalists, researchers, academics and human rights defenders, to an RSF questionnaire available in 24 languages.
1. Article 19(1)(a) in Part III of the Constitution guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. It is a right invoked against the state. Some fundamental rights such as those prohibiting untouchability, trafficking and bonded labour are explicitly against both the state and other individuals.
2. It is available only to citizens and not to foreigners. Article 19 (1) provides ‘Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech etc.’ It says, “All citizens shall have the right:
(a) to freedom of speech and expression;
(b) to assemble peaceably and without arms;
(c) to form associations or unions;
(d) to move freely throughout the territory of India;
(e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and
(f) omitted
(g) to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business
3. The freedom provided in Article 19 (1) is not absolute or unfettered. It is followed by Article 19(2), which lists exceptions or “reasonable restrictions” on free speech under following heads:
→ Security of the State,
→ Friendly relations with foreign States
→ Public Order,
→ Decency and Morality,
→ Contempt of Court,
→ Defamation,
→ Incitement to an Offence,
→ Sovereignty and Integrity of India.
All citizens shall have the right —
1. to freedom of speech and expression
2. to assemble peaceably and without arms
3. to bear arms for self-defence
4. to refuse to pay taxes as a form of protest
5. to form associations or unions
6. to move freely throughout the territory of India
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 6
(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5
(c) 1, 2, 4 and 6
(d) 1, 2, 5 and 6
| Answer Key |
| (d) |
(Sources: mib.gov.in, Top 10 best and worst countries for press freedom in 2025: India’s rank revealed, What is the World Press Freedom Index and how does it measure countries?)
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