Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report 2024-25

Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report 2024-25: Recently, releases its 23rd annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, entitled ‘Frontline Democracy: Media Amid Political Churn’.

oIt has found that “manipulated and falsified information” to be the “most severe short-term risk the world faces”, and identifies “India as having the highest risk of misinformation and disinformation globally”.

• About Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report : A comprehensive publication by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), released each year to coincide with World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

o The report assesses the state of press freedom across South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Afghanistan.

• Key Findings Report : The 23rd edition, reveals a significant deterioration in press freedom across the region:

o 250 media rights violations were recorded, including:

o 20 targeted killings of journalists and media workers, a sharp increase from 8 deaths in the previous year.

o Over 190 instances of journalists being assaulted, threatened, or harassed, often by law enforcement agencies.

o At least 70 media professionals were jailed or detained, with 19 journalists remaining behind bars at the time of publication.