Poland plummets in press freedom index

Poland is among the countries that have fallen the furthest in the 2016 Index, published on April 20. The country received 23.89 points, slipping 29 positions and placing close to Haiti (53rd) and Argentina (54th).

The report cited the conservative government’s changes to the public media as the reason behind the fall of Poland in the 2016 Index. “Shortly after winning the 2015 election, the conservative Law and Justice party passed a media law empowering the government to appoint and dismiss the heads of the state radio and TV broadcast media,” the report read.

Poland, however, is still clearly ahead of several European Union countries, including Greece or Italy.

Ukraine (currently 107th) climbed 22 positions in the 2016 Index, “thanks to a significant decline in violence and to some long-awaited reforms,” the Paris-based RSF organisation wrote on its website.

This year’s report shows a general decline in global press freedom. The lowest ranked countries were North Korea and Eritrea, while Finland and the Netherlands topped the list.

The World Press Freedom Index has been published annually since 2002. It evaluates media freedom in 180 countries. (ał/rg)