Press Freedom Under Increasing Pressure Globally

On May 3, 2022, for the World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published their annual World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories. The 2022 World Press Freedom Index issues a striking warning about the “disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of a globalized and unregulated online information space that encourages fake news and propaganda.” The state of press freedom is classified as “very bad” in a record number of 28 countries in the 2022 Index. The world’s 10 worst countries for press freedom include Myanmar, China, Turkmenistan, Iran, Eritrea and North Korea.

Among others, in North Korea, independent journalism does not exist as it is strictly prohibited and the regime controls information. Journalists have been “arrested, deported, sent to forced labor camps, and killed for deviating from the party’s narrative. In 2017, the government even sentenced South Korean journalists to death in absentia for only commenting on the country’s economic and social situation.”

China is classified by RSF “the world’s largest prison for journalists” with 120 journalists currently detained. The most common charges against journalists include “espionage”, “subversion”, or “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The Chinese regime is said to be using surveillance, coercion, intimidation and harassment to keep independent journalists from reporting on issues it deems sensitive. This includes “the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party sends a detailed notice to all media every day that includes editorial guidelines and censored topics.”

In Myanmar, the media landscape is said to have been shattered with the 2021 coup. After the 2021 coup, the junta issued a list of media outlets that were banned, including the Democratic Voice of Burma. RSF described journalism as an extremely dangerous profession in Myanmar, with journalists at a high risk of being jailed, tortured or murdered. Three journalists were killed by the junta in December 2021 and January 2022.

In Iran, since 1979, at least 1,000 journalists have been arrested, detained, murdered, disappeared or executed by the Iranian regime. The Iranian regime also targets journalists abroad.

Apart from the top 10 countries with dire situation of press freedom, many more impose severe restrictions on press freedom and manipulate these restrictions to aid its agenda. For example, since the attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been attacking press freedom, with “almost all independent media have been banned, blocked and/or declared ‘foreign agents.’ All others are subject to military censorship.” As a result, many journalists have chosen exile. However, even before the invasion of Ukraine, and over recent years, journalists have been subjected to harsh sentences and even torture in Russia, this as means of intimidation.

All the above discussed countries are common places for human rights violations, including atrocities that can be classified as war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide. The pressures that journalists are subjected to are aimed at suppressing evidence of such violations. As such, protecting free press in those countries is crucial to protect human rights of all. For this World Press Freedom Day and beyond, it is crucial to remember that free press is a benefit for all, however, still a privilege of a few. This needs to be addressed if we are serious about changing the current trend of the deteriorating human rights situation globally.