Journalism is coming under intense pressure as press freedom confronts an increasingly divided world, fuelled by disinformation. While Europe remains the most secure continent for journalists and media freedom, oppressive policies in certain countries and Russia’s war against Ukraine paint a worrying picture of the situation across the continent.
Freedom of expression, media freedom and pluralism are enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as in the European Convention on Human Rights.
Europe remains the most secure continent for press freedom
According to the 20th edition of the World Press Freedom Index, Europe remained the continent that most ensures freedom of the press in 2021. EU countries are mostly ranked as “good” or “satisfactory”, with Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Estonia registering the best scores.
La situación de la libertad de prensa de los medios de comunicación de España es bastante buena, nuestro país se sitúa en el puesto número 32 de esta clasificación mundial.
Tras muchos años en el último puesto de la clasificación de los países de la UE, en 2021 Bulgaria subió 21 puestos hasta el 91, gracias a un cambio de gobierno y a la expectativa de mejora. Ahora Grecia ocupa el último lugar, ya que a los periodistas en este país habitualmente se les impide cubrir temas que van desde la migración hasta el Covid-19.
“Very bad” situation in record number of countries
The situation is classified as “very bad” in a record number of 28 countries worldwide. The world’s 10 worst countries for press freedom include Myanmar, China, Turkmenistan, Iran, Eritrea and North Korea. Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine has also severely affected media freedom in the region, which was already restricted before the invasion.
Fifty journalists and media workers were killed in 2021 – down from 55 in 2020 – while 302 were imprisoned – up from 297 in 2020 – most of them in Belarus, China and Myanmar.
The annual Index of Reporters Without Borders ranks 180 countries and regions according to the degree of press freedom. The rankings are based on a score ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 being the best possible score (the highest possible level of press freedom) and 0 the worst, taking into account criteria such as pluralism, media independence, legislative framework, transparency and level of abuse against journalists.
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