Brunei ranks 121 on Press Freedom Index

Quratul-Ain Bandial
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI dropped four spots to rank 121 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ 2015 World Press Freedom Index which was released yesterday.

According to the annual report, Brunei scored 36.76 out of a possible 100 (100 being the worst) on the index, indicating a “difficult situation” for media freedom.

Countries with a score between 35 to 55 points are labeled as in a “difficult situation”, while scores of 55 and above are described as a “very serious situation”. However, Brunei fared the best among ASEAN countries, with no Southeast Asian nation ranking in the top 100 of the World Press Freedom Index. Thailand came second in ASEAN (ranked 134) with a score of 40.07, followed by Indonesia (138), Cambodia (139), the Philippines (141), Myanmar (144), Malaysia (147), Laos (171) and Vietnam (175). The index ranks the performance of 180 countries according to a range of criteria that include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate.

Top of the list, are three Scandinavian countries – Finland, which has been in first place for five years in succession, followed by Norway and Denmark. At the other end of the scale, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea, in last place, were the worst performers.

“The 2015 World Press Freedom Index highlights the worldwide deterioration in freedom of information in 2014. Beset by wars, the growing threat from non-state operatives, violence during demonstrations and the economic crisis, media freedom is in retreat on all five continents,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement yesterday.


Sumber - The Brunei Times