Reporters Without Borders on World’s Press Freedom Threats

Unveiling its annual press freedom rankings, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has decried leaders around the world for restraining the free activity of journalists in their countries, stressing China’s missed opportunity to highlight the severity of the outbreak in its early days.

RSF criticized China for withholding information pertaining to the coronavirus outbreak, saying the deadly pandemic could have been lessened and even impeded had journalists had more freedom in the country.

RSF's UK Bureau Director Rebecca Vincent told CNN Business: "If there had been a free press in China, if these whistleblowers hadn't been silenced, then this could have been prevented from turning into a pandemic”.

Saying the country’s initial downplaying the severity of COVID-19 has proved deadly, Vincent added: “Sometimes we can talk about press freedom in a theoretical way, but this shows the impact can at times be physical. It can affect all of our health”.

RSF likewise denounced Hungarian President Viktor Orbán for issuing punishment for journalists should the government believe their reporting is inaccurate amid the pandemic. The punishment envisages up to five years in prison.

In Russia, officials are using social media to spread disinformation about the current pandemic, RSF says, adding there is "clear correlation" between the country's ranking in the Press Freedom Index and its suppression of media freedom in response to the crisis.

Asserting that nations take advantage of the crisis to pass repressive laws, censor information and gain further power, RSF Executive Director Christophe Deloire said: ”The public health crisis provides authoritarian governments with an opportunity to implement the notorious 'shock doctrine”.

"What will freedom of information, pluralism and reliability look like in 2030? The answer to that question is being determined today," he added.

Norway topped the global index of media freedom for the fourth time, while Noth Korea came in last.

Georgia has ranked 60th, marking the best result the country has ever had. RSF said “Georgia’s media are pluralist but still very polarized”, adding that Georgia has seen considerable improvements to the overall media transparency in the country, albeit with many channels still suffering from pressure to support a particular party.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is a leading press freedom watchdog that advocates accurate, pluralistic and impartial journalism for use by citizens in democratic processes. 

By Elene Dzebisashvili