The freedom of the press is in good shape in South Africa, even while it faces threats in other parts of the world. This is according to Reporters Without Borders (known by its French abbreviation, RSF).
The organisation this week released its latest report on the state of media freedom around the world. Of the 180 countries analysed, in only eight (or 4.4%) was the state of press freedom rated ‘good’. In another 44 – or 24.4% – the situation was ‘satisfactory.’ This meant that for most countries in the world there were threats to the freedom of the press.
South Africa is ranked as having the 25th freest press in the world, a significant jump from the 35 it was ranked at last year.
Namibia is the only African country ranked higher than South Africa, at 22.
The five countries with the freest press in the world, as ranked by RSF, are Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and Finland.
At the other end of the scale the five countries with the least media freedom in the world are Turkmenistan, Iran, Vietnam, China, and North Korea.