India slips 3 positions in global press freedom ranks
India slipped 3 places in the world press freedom rankings from 133 to 136 among 180 countries. India is ranked 3 places above Pakistan and is ranked below Palestine. India even fared worse than several sub-Saharan African countries including Zimbabwe which is currently a dictatorship. China was at 176, and the report called it the "world's leading prison for citizen journalists."
Why did India fare so poorly?
The report was compiled by media watchdog Reporters without Borders. It said "Modi's nationalism", sought to "purge all manifestations of anti-national thought" and was leading to increasing "self-censorship" in the media. It added that journalists were repeatedly under threat from sedition laws. It said coverage of sensitive regions like Jammu and Kashmir continued to be "very difficult".
Best and worst performers
According to the report, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark which took the first 4 positions had the best journalistic freedom. The US came in at 43. North Korea was the worst at 180. In South Asia, even Bhutan and Nepal fared better than India.
