India slips two places on global press freedom index; Javadekar says media has ‘absolute freedom’

NEW DELHI: Information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said the media enjoyed “absolute freedom” in India, and that the government would “expose” surveys that tended to portray a “bad picture” about press freedom in the country.
Javadekar’s comments were in the context of the latest report compiled by global body Reporters Without Borders which said India had dropped two places on the global press freedom index — from 140 to 142, in a list of 180 countries. Norway is ranked first in the index while China is at 177. North Korea is at 180.
According to the survey, India’s neighbours Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka are ranked higher than India on the index. The survey said the communications blackout imposed by the government in Kashmir, which made it difficult for journalists to report on what was happening in the region, had played a significant role in India’s ranking going down.
The World Press Freedom Index 2020, released on April 22, said though the security situation for journalists in India improved because there were no murders of journalists in 2019, as against six in 2018, there were “constant press freedom violations, including police violence against journalists, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials”.
India’s rank went from 122 in 2010 to 142 this year, falling 20 places in a decade.
Javadekar, however, maintained that media had the power to inform and enlighten people. “Media in India enjoys absolute freedom. We will expose, sooner than later, those surveys that tend to portray a bad picture about ‘freedom of press’ in India,” he said on Twitter.
Congress, the principal opposition party, alluded to the index and India’s deteriorating ranking to allege that the press was under attack by BJP. “India slipped two places in World Press Freedom Index to 142. As we commemorate World Press Freedom Day, we must remember that BJP is hell bent on destroying this fourth pillar of democracy and we shouldn’t let that happen,” Congress said on Twitter, adding that journalists in the country should not be scared.
“To all the journalists, we would say ‘daro mat’ (don’t be scared),” it added.