Belize Falls To Rank 53 In 2021 World Press Freedom Index
May 4, 2021
Belize has fallen to rank 53 in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2021 World Press Freedom Index. This has placed Belize in the Red Zone in the dubious company of countries like Chile, Crotia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2021 World Press Freedom Index shows decline across the board in Latin America. With a few exceptions, the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated an already complex and hostile environment for journalists.
The pandemic has fuelled censorship in Latin America and reporters have had major problems finding out how the region’s governments have handled the public health crisis. These constraints have been reflected in a spectacular worsening in the indicator that measures how hard it is for journalists to access state-held information. Latin America has also registered the biggest deterioration in its overall press freedom violations score (+2,5%).
EU marks World Press Freedom Day
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell calls Press freedom a fundamental EU value.
Sollok29/CC BY-SA 4.0
04 May 2021
The EU’s High Representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell says the EU “is determined to do more, in Europe and abroad,” to defend the freedom of the press.
His pledge was timed to mark World Press Freedom Day on Monday 3 May.
Speaking just ahead of the international day, Borrell, a former MEP, said, “The EU will continue speaking up against any restriction on freedom of expression and censorship.
“At a time when independent and free media reporting is more essential than ever, press freedom continues to be under threat. Journalists continue to experience harsh working conditions with increasing financial and political pressure, surveillance, arbitrary prison sentences or violence for doing their work.”
COVID-19: Many States Declare Journalists Frontline Workers , to Vaccinate Them on Priority
West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab and Uttarakhand have made promises of vaccination for journalists.
Representative image. Photo: PTI
Media18 hours ago
New Delhi: Amid a rising number of coronavirus cases in the country, chief ministers of various states have decided to give journalists the status of ‘frontline workers’ and accord them priority in the vaccination programme.
According to the Geneva-based media rights body, Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), India is among the top three countries in the world when it comes to deaths of journalists due to COVID-19.
Filipino Journalist Maria Ressa Receives UNESCO Award, Questions Big Tech s Impunity
She accused Silicon Valley giants like Facebook of actively facilitating the propaganda machine that attacks and suppresses criticism.
Maria Ressa. Photo: Reuters
World04/May/2021
New Delhi: Prominent Filipino journalist Maria Ressa on Monday targeted not just the Philippines government for their anti-democratic acts targeting the media but also accused Silicon Valley giants like Facebook of actively facilitating the propaganda machine that attacks and suppresses criticism.
Through a video link, Ressa, head of a Filipino investigative news website,
In her acceptance speech, Ressa reminded the audience that she could not travel outside the Philippines due to restrictions put by courts in legal cases filed against her by the government. In the last two years, ten arrest warrants have been issued against her. She was arrested twice in 2019.
Time to address the decline of independent media in Hungary
As we mark World Press Freedom Day, a worrying trend continues in Hungary, as the Member State slides further in the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, writes Gabor Polyak.
Alamy
04 May 2021
World Press Freedom Day on May 3 is an annual event which was established in 1993 by the United Nations to remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold freedom of expression.
Hungary, however, has dropped further in the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, coming in 92nd out of 180 countries, a drop of three places in comparison to last year.