The Indian government disagrees with the rank the country has been given on the press freedom league table as the index gives little or no weightage to the “fundamentals of democracy” and bases its conclusions on a small sample size, information minister Anurag Thakur told Parliament on Tuesday.
The World Press Freedom Index 2021 by Reporters Without Borders, an international non-profit, lists India at the 142nd spot among 180 countries.
In a written response to a query by NCPparliamentarian Mohammed PP Faizal in Parliament, Thakur also questioned the methodology used by the non-profit in preparing the index. The government does not “subscribe to the conclusions” for various reasons, including very low sample size, Thakur said.
Asked about the steps taken by the government to protect press freedom, Thakur said that an advisory dealing with the safety of journalists was issued to all states and union territories on October 20, 2017.
The index was released in April last year. India was classified as “bad” for journalism, along with Brazil, Mexico and Russia, Reporters Without Borders had said at the time.
In South Asia, Nepal was placed 106, Sri Lanka 127, Myanmar 140, Pakistan 145 and Bangladesh at the 152nd spot. China was ranked 177, and the US 44.
{{/usCountry}}In South Asia, Nepal was placed 106, Sri Lanka 127, Myanmar 140, Pakistan 145 and Bangladesh at the 152nd spot. China was ranked 177, and the US 44.
{{/usCountry}}“With four journalists killed in connection with their work in 2020, India is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly,” the report has said. “They are exposed to every kind of attack, including police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials.”