Press freedom in rapid decline worldwide, says watchdog

Press freedom is declining around the world, with democratic governments joining authoritarian regimes in seeking to suppress independent journalism, Freedom House,An annual report by Freedom House said press freedom saw notable declines in Europe while US President Donald Trump’s vilification of the press has “seriously exacerbated an ongoing erosion of public confidence in the mainstream media.

“In some of the most influential democracies in the world, populist leaders have overseen a concerted attempt to throttle the independence of the media,” said Sarah Repucci, senior director for research at the pro-democracy group. “While threats to global media freedom are concerning in their own right, their effect on the state of democracy is what makes them truly dangerous.”

This has coincided with a populist trend in which leaders present themselves as “defenders of an aggrieved majority” and seek to discredit independent media and suppress open debate, Freedom House said. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has also sought to pressure independent media in selection of television licences and has supported campaigns to discourage speech that is “anti-national”, according to Freedom House.

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