PARIS (AP) – There has been a “dramatic decline” in press freedom since the pandemic began tearing up worldwide, Reporters Without Borders said in its annual report published Tuesday.
The group’s new World Press Freedom Index, which evaluated the press situations in 180 countries, painted a clear picture and concluded that 73% of the countries in the world have serious problems with media freedoms.
It says countries have used the coronavirus pandemic, which broke out in late 2019, “as a reason to block journalists’ access to information, resources and reporting in the field.”
This is especially the case in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, the media group said.
“Journalism is the best vaccine against disinformation,” said Christophe Deloire, secretary general of the RSF. “Unfortunately, its production and distribution are too often blocked by political, economic, technological and sometimes even cultural factors. In response to the virality of cross-border disinformation, on digital platforms and via social media, journalism provides the most effective way to ensure that public debate is based on a diverse set of established facts. ”
Issues have also arisen as a result of a decline in public confidence in journalism itself. The group said 59% of people surveyed in 28 countries claimed that journalists were “deliberately trying to mislead the public by reporting information they know to be untrue.”