The region’s 10 freest countries for journalists – according to the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index – are (ranking in brackets): Renewals of government coalitions has also created more media-friendly environments in Sri Lanka, ranked 135th, and Malaysia, ranked 73rd. For example, changes of government loosened constraints on the media in the Philippines, which now ranks 132nd for press freedom, according to RSF, even though the archipelago is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists. In Southeast Asia, most nations in the region have shown some progress in the ranking. The latest press freedom index sees India slip 11 ranks to 161st out of 180 countries, and describes how media takeovers by oligarchs who maintain close ties with political leaders have caused the media environment to turn from “problematic” to “very bad”. “Scrutinising wealthy private entities, which enjoy the favour of the ruling administration, has become nearly impossible,” said Sridharan.Ī closer look at the annual media freedom index, in which Paris-based press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) assesses the state of media freedom globally, shows a mixed picture in Asia Pacific. But the limits put in place by private entities to access crucial statistics were “unimaginable”, he said.įast forward to 2023, and media freedom is on the decline in the world’s largest democracy. Some of the information that he needed was basic. Two years ago, when Bangalore-based freelance journalist Vasudevan Sridharan tried investigating the pollution of a protected bird sanctuary by India’s largest pharmaceutical firm, his work was hobbled by restrictions to data.
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