Malaysia Plummets on Annual World Press Freedom Index
S. Mahfuz/BenarNews The Malaysian government’s desire for “absolute control” over information led Reporters Without Borders to drop the nation 18 spots on its World Press Freedom Index released Tuesday – the biggest dip among all counties ranked in the watchdog group’s annual report. Elsewhere in the region, the governments of Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand used the coronavirus pandemic to repress the media in 2020, the Paris-based group reported. Just one year after it jumped 22 notches on the index, Malaysia fell to 119 in the ranking of 180 nati...