World Press Freedom Index

Subject – Governance

Context – Govt. disagrees with India’s rank in World Press Freedom Index

Concept –

The index is published each year by the international journalism not-for-profit body, Reporters without Borders (RSF).
India has ranked 142nd out of 180 nations in the World Press Freedom Index.
Based in Paris, RSF is an independent NGO with consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF).
- OIF is a 54 french speaking nations collective.
The Index ranks countries and regions according to the level of freedom available to journalists. However, it is not an indicator on the quality of journalism.
The parameters include pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.
It also includes indicators of the level of media freedom violations in each region.
It is compiled by means of a questionnaire in 20 languages that is completed by experts all over the world. This qualitative analysis is combined with quantitative data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists during the period evaluated.
Norway topped the index for the fifth year in a row.