India ranked low in Press Freedom Index

The 2016 ‘World Press Freedom Index’ released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has placed India at 133^rdposition among 180 countries.

Key facts:

The list is topped by Finland, which retained its top spot for the sixth consecutive year, followed by the Netherlands and Norway.

• India jumped three spots from the 136th position it had in 2015.
• Among India’s neighbouring countries, Pakistan ranks 147, Sri Lanka (141), Afghanistan (120), Bangladesh (144), Nepal (105) and Bhutan (94). China is ranked 176.
• The United States is ranked 44th and Russia is placed at the 148th place.
•  At the bottom of the index lies Eritrea at 180th rank. It is preceded by North Korea, Turkmenistan, Syria and China at 179th, 178th, 177th and 176th position respectively.

About World Press Freedom Index:

World Press Freedom Index is published annually by RSF since 2002. It measures the level of freedom available to journalists in 180 countries using the following criteria – pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-censorship, legislative environment, transparency, infrastructure, and abuses.