Shona Ghosh

The UK has come 23rd in the latest press freedom analysis from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ranking behind Jamaica, Costa Rica and New Zealand in a top 30 which otherwise chiefly consists of European democracies.

The report notes this dominance but adds that ‘leading democracies’ have become ‘destabilised’ and are slowly encroaching on press freedoms. It attributes the slide of France (35th), Spain (36th) and Italy (44th) to increasing political and mafia violence.

The US also ranks 36th, a significant improvement from last year’s place of 48th, but has received criticism for arresting journalists during the Democratic and Republican conventions. The index has sparked internal criticism, comparing unfavourably with the Euro-dominated top 30.

RSF reserves its most potent venom for the lowest ranking countries, North Korea, Turkmenistan and Eritrea – the ‘unchanging hells’ of media and political oppression.