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State of Press Freedom
Context
The 23rd Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report 2024–25, titled "Frontline Democracy: Media and Political Churn", has been released.
Key Highlights of the Report
- Out of 180 countries assessed, 160 face significant challenges regarding the financial stability of media outlets, notably affected in theUnited States (ranked 57th, a decline of 2 places from the previous year)
- Nepal stands at 90th, followed by the Maldives (104), Sri Lanka (139), Bangladesh (149), India (151), Bhutan (152), Pakistan (158), and Afghanistan (175).
- Non-Press Freedom Challenges:
- Shrinking job opportunities and freelance insecurity
- AI-driven content reducing demand for human journalists
- Decline in advertising revenue
- Contractualisation under new labour codes
- Corporate consolidations harming editorial independence
- India-Specific Observations: 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.
- Systemic Suppression of Media: The report states that Indian media is being “shackled” under a systemic strategy to cripple independent journalism.
- Legal Intimidation: Increasing use of laws such as defamation, sedition, UAPA, and PMLA has created a hostile legal environment. These laws are often used to target media houses critical of the government.
- Chilling Effect and Self-Censorship: Due to legal harassment, surveillance, and arbitrary detentions, self-censorship is on the rise, weakening press accountability.
- IT Cells and Disinformation: Political party “IT cells” are contributing to hate speech, propaganda, and disinformation, exacerbating the trust deficit in media.
- State Pressure Tactics:
- Income Tax and ED raids
- Withholding of government advertisements
- Surveillance and intimidation of journalists
- National Security as Pretext: Restrictions on speech and press freedom are being justified in the name of public order, national security, and countering misinformation.
- Misinformation as a Global Risk: Referring to the Global Risks Report 2024, India is identified as the country facing the highest risk from misinformation and disinformation.
World Press Freedom Index 2025
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