Sri Lanka’s press freedom ranking plummets in 2024

May 03 - Reporters Without Borders (RFS) unveiled its annual World Press Freedom Index on Friday, revealing a concerning trend for Sri Lanka as it plummeted to the 150th position.

This marks a significant decline from its 135th position in the previous year's index.

The index, which evaluates 180 countries based on the freedom of journalists to work and report independently, highlighted a worrying trend not just for Sri Lanka but for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

In this region, known as one of the most challenging for journalism, five countries including Myanmar, China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan emerged as some of the most perilous places for media personnel.

Notably, none of the countries in this region managed to secure a position in the Index's top 15, signifying a broader deterioration of press freedom in the region.

India, another major player in the region, also witnessed a decline in its press freedom ranking, dropping to 159th place in the 2024 index from 161st place last year. Pakistan fared slightly better, securing the 152nd position.