The 2020 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), reveals the coming decade will probably be critical for the future of journalism, together with all the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting and amplifying the numerous disasters that threaten the right to openly reported, independent, varied and reliable info.
This 2020 edition of this Index, that assesses the problem for journalists every year from 180 countries and territories, suggests that the following ten years will be critical for press freedom due to converging disasters affecting the future of journalism:
- a behavioral catastrophe (because of the aggressiveness of authoritarian regimes);
- a scientific catastrophe (because of lack of democratic claims );
- a democratic catastrophe (because of polarisation and repressive policies);
- a crisis of faith (because of suspicion and even hatred of the media); along with
- an economic catastrophe (impoverishing quality journalism).
These five ingredients of catastrophe are compounded by a worldwide public health crisis.”We’re entering a critical decade for journalism connected to disasters which affect its potential,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire explained.
“The coronavirus pandemic exemplifies the negative aspects endangering the right to reliable data, and is an exacerbating factor. What’ll freedom of information, pluralism and reliability seem like in 2030? The response to this question is being ascertained now.
“There’s a very clear correlation between suppression of media freedom in reaction to this coronavirus pandemic, and a nation’s standing in the Index. China (177th) and Iran (down 3 in 173rd) censored their important coronavirus outbreaks broadly. Back in Iraq (down 6 in 162nd), the police stripped Reuters of its license for 3 months after it printed a story questioning official coronavirus figures.
