Norway tops Press Freedom Index
Ishika Sharma
The top rankers in the World Press Freedom Index of 2023 include Norway, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The lowest rank is of North Korea, and India ranks 161 out of 180 countries.
China: The country with the lowest internet freedom
Steffy Maria Paul
India with a total score of 50 was ranked ‘partly free’ in terms of internet freedom, according to the Freedom House report. India scored 13 out of 25 in obstacles to access, 20 out of 35 in limits on content, and 17 out of 40 in violations of user rights categories. Iceland with a score of 94 was ranked as the most free country in terms of internet freedom by the report.
Countries with least religious freedom
Vishnupriya. R
Among the above mentioned countries Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have least religious freedom. Brazil and South Africa have the most religious freedom.
57 countries designated as ‘Not free’
Ashna Mariam George
Tibet has also scored one, however, it is not included in the countries list as it is a territory, not an independent country. According to the Freedom House Index 2023, of the 57 countries designated as ‘Not Free’, these countries have the worst aggregate scores for political rights and civil liberties (global freedom score).
India tops list of global internet shut-offs
Preetiyukta Mohakud
According to the Hindustan Times, India has accounted for approximately 58 percent of all documented shutdowns globally since 2016. Last year there was disrupted internet access at least 49 times in Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s Press Freedom on decline
Arunima Pal
With a score of 36.6, India is among countries where the freedom of press is seriously threatened. According to Human Rights Watch, Indian authorities should respect the right to freedom of expression of journalists and not arrest or detain them for their critical reporting. Statista has traced India’s rank in the Press Freedom Index over the last 21 years.
Taiwan Leads, China Lags: Asia-Pacific Internet Freedom 2022
Mansi Jagani
In 2022, Taiwan was ranked as having the highest degree of internet freedom across all the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, scoring 79 index points. Contrastingly, China was ranked the lowest, scoring 10 index points in terms of its internet freedom in 2022.
India’s score on internet freedom improved slightly from 49 in 2021 to 51 in 2022, indicating a “partly free” internet. Scores showed a declining trend since 2017.
People’s take on media freedom
Amisha Mohite
The following countries across the world have the lowest level of media freedom. North Korea is also one of the countries having the lowest media freedom due to the strict government rules and restrictions on journalists.
India’s score in Press Freedom Index slips to its lowest
Vandana Batra
The low rank of India is a matter of concern as this suggests the threatened state of the press in the country. This score is evaluated based on political, economic, and sociocultural contexts as well as the legal framework and level of safety in the country.
