From war to fake information/ Here are the factors that affect the difficult situation of the press in the world

2023-05-03 08:03:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

From war to fake information/ Here are the factors that affect the difficult

The organization Journalists Without Borders expresses concern about the state of media freedom, citing as the main reason for the deterioration of the situation the war, oppression and persecution of journalists, the threat of false content and propaganda, which according to the organization undermine genuine and professional journalism.

Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index, released on Wednesday on World Press Freedom Day, concludes that the situation is "very bad" in 31 countries, "bad" in 42 countries, "problematic" " in 55 and "good" or "fairly good" in 52 countries. This means that the environment for journalism is bad in seven out of ten countries, and satisfactory in only three out of ten countries.

The index classifies countries into "good", "more or less good", "problematic", "difficult" or "very difficult" environments for press freedom.

Norway ranks first for the seventh consecutive year, while the last three countries with the worst press conditions in the world are in Asia: Vietnam, China and North Korea.

Press freedom in Europe has been eclipsed by Russia's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has created a new media arsenal dedicated to spreading Moscow's message in the territories it has seized in southern Ukraine and has taken unprecedented measures to crack down on the media inside Russia.

Albania and Kosovo show growth, but continue to be among the problematic countries

The organization Journalists without Borders, in the World Press Freedom Index, listed Albania and Kosovo among the problematic countries. However, according to the index that was published on Tuesday, both Albania and Kosovo have recorded growth compared to a year ago.

In the indicator that includes 180 countries, Albania ranks 96th, marking an increase of 7 places compared to a year ago when it ranked 103rd. In 2021, Albania was ranked 83rd.

The report states that the Prosecutor's Office imposed disproportionate restrictions on the coverage of the cyber attack by Iran.

Kosovo ranks 56th, an increase of 5 places compared to last year when it ranked 61st, while a year earlier it was in 78th place.

Serbia, where according to the report pro-government media outlets spread Russian propaganda, ranks 91st this year, suffering the deepest drop (by 12 places) in the region that includes the European Union and the Balkans.

North Macedonia (ranked 38th) and Montenegro (39th) are in the group of countries with a "more or less good" or satisfactory condition. North Macedonia has seen an increase of 19 places from last year, while Montenegro has seen an improvement of 24 places.

Bosnia, ranked 64th, has an increase of three places compared to a year ago.

Shadow of War

Systematic censorship and the forced exodus of independent Russian and foreign media have created space for the dissemination of coordinated propaganda by pro-government media.

The ground is set for a rise in propaganda from Russia (164), which has fallen another nine places in the 2023 Index, compared to 155th place a year ago.

In record time, Moscow has created a new media arsenal dedicated to spreading the Kremlin's message in the territories it has seized in southern Ukraine, while cracking down harder than ever on the last independent Russian media outlets, which have been banned , blocked or declared "foreign agents".

War crimes in Ukraine (which ranks 79th) contributed to giving Russia one of the lowest scores.

Russian aggression eclipses the entire region, especially Belarus (in 157th place), which is now fully under Russian influence. The index has also been affected by a significant deterioration in the situation of press freedom in Central Asia.

The war in Ukraine has also affected Western Europe, which often tries to find a balance between security and freedom. Some countries have imposed restrictions on the activity of journalism with the argument of "national security".

In Greece (107th place), spying on journalists by intelligence agencies led to the most serious violation of press freedom in the European Union in 2022, and is the reason why Greece has the lowest ranking among EU countries. of the 2023 Index.

However, Europe, especially the European Union, is the region of the world where it is easiest to be a journalist.

The State of Press Freedom in the World

Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index concludes that the situation is "very bad" in 31 countries, "bad" in 42 countries, "problematic" in 55 and "good" or "fairly good". in 52 countries. This means that the environment for journalism is bad in seven out of ten countries, and satisfactory in only three out of ten countries.

Norway ranks first for the seventh year in a row. But – in an unusual development – ??Ireland, a non-Nordic country, is ranked second, (up 4 places), ahead of Denmark (which fell one place to 3rd). The Netherlands (6th) has risen 22 places, returning to the position it held in 2021, before Chronicle journalist Peter R. de Vries was killed.

There are also differences between the countries with the worst situation for press freedom. The bottom three countries this year are all Asian: Vietnam (178), due to the targeting of independent journalists and commentators; China (down 4 places, ranking 179th), the country that has imprisoned the largest number of journalists and one of the largest exporters of propaganda content; and in last place (180) is North Korea.

"The World Press Freedom Index shows great volatility, with big ups and downs and unprecedented changes, such as Brazil's rise of 18 places and Senegal's drop of 31 places. This instability is the result of an increase in aggressiveness on the part of the authorities in many countries and an increase in attacks on journalists on social media and physically. The instability is also a consequence of the increased growth in the disinformation industry, which produces and distributes disinformation and provides the tools to produce it," says Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Christophe Deloire.

The United States (ranked 45th) has fallen three places. Respondents expressed concern about the environment for journalists (particularly the legal framework at the local level and widespread violence) despite the goodwill of President Biden's administration, according to the report. The September 2022 murders of two journalists, Jeff German and Dylan Lyons, caused the drop in the ranking.

Brazil (92) rose 18 places as a result of the departure of former president Jair and the election of Lula da Silva, heralding an improvement in the situation.

Turkey is among the three countries where the situation has gone from "problematic" to "very bad". It is in 165th place, losing 16 places compared to last year as according to the report the administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has escalated measures against journalists on the eve of the elections scheduled for May 14.

Iran is ranked 177th due to the harsh suppression of protests caused by the death of student Mahsa Amini in police custody. Some of the deepest declines in the 2023 Index have been in Africa.

The effects of the fake content industry

The 2023 index highlights the rapid effects the fake content industry has had on press freedom in the digital ecosystem. In 118 countries (two-thirds of the 180 countries included in the Index), the majority of respondents claim that political actors in their countries were frequently or systematically involved in mass disinformation or propaganda campaigns.

The report of the Journalists Without Borders organization points out that the blurring of the distinction between truth and falsehood, real or artificial, facts and untruths, is endangering the right to information, weakening quality journalism.

According to the report, the extraordinary development of artificial intelligence is causing even more chaos in the media world./ Voa