China is ranked 179th among the 180 countries and territories, according to the latest edition of the World Press Freedom Index of international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The 2023 World Press Freedom Index has evaluated China’s plummeting ranking at 179th, just above North Korea as ‘the world’s biggest jailer of journalists and one of the biggest exporters of propaganda content.’ RSF said China’s ranking in the index indicates the situation in the country is “very serious”.

Tenzin Dorjee, a Tibetan journalist from Voice of Tibet (VoT) and the President of Association of Tibetan Journalists (ATJ) speaking to Phayul said, “This is not the first time that China has ranked among the world’s worst-rated countries for press freedom. This is due to the communist regime’s extreme resistance against media outlets.

“Such restrictions directly affect the transparency and authenticity of any information coming from Tibetans inside Tibet, especially information related to human rights violations inside occupied Tibet. The state-run media agencies are highly involved with feeding propaganda campaigns with an unprecedented ability to tamper with the information.”

He further stated that both media agencies and freedom of speech are directly related to one another as the limitation of freedom of speech in China is wreaking havoc on how media operates.

The Secretary-General of RSF said the World Press Freedom Index showed “enormous volatility” and that “this instability is the result of the increased aggressiveness on the part of the authorities in many countries and growing animosity towards journalists on social media and in the physical world.

“The volatility is also the consequences of growth in the fake content industry, which produces and distributes disinformation and provides the tools of manufacturing it.” 

RSF is an international non-profit organisation with an aim to defend and promote media freedom and information, founded in 1985 by four journalists.

"The Chinese Communist Party wants total control over information," said the RSF Secretary General, Christophe Deloire in a statement released alongside the report."It has set up an unparalleled surveillance system that treats all forms of communication as potential threats," he added.

RSF publishes a global ranking of press freedom every year on World Press Freedom Day to “compare the level of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories.”

Does any Nigerian live in North Korea?