Delving into the ranks and scores of the press freedom index

Reporters Without Borders announced Malaysia’s improved ranking in terms of press freedom on the eve of World Press Freedom Day.

Malaysia is placed at number 88 in the world press freedom index compared to the 107th position a year ago.

The rise by 19 spots is due to an addition of 4.02 score to 56.09.

Indicators

The ranking and score are based on five indicators:- political, economic, legislative, social, security.

Political refers to the level of political pressure imposed on the media. One key feature that stood for Malaysia is the enforcement of 3R laws, especially against the royalty.

Under the legislative framework, RSF acknowledged the creation of the Malaysian Media Council and the upcoming Freedom of Information Act.

On the other hand, RSF also pointed out at the restrictive laws that impinge on press freedom such as the Sedition Act 1948, Official Secrets Act 1972, Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The economic indicators zoomed into licensing of the media and media ownership.

The social indicators focused on the fact that the Malay language media is put under the scrutiny more than the media in other languages, sensitive issues related Islam and 3R issues.

Security or safety in the Malaysian context refers to the suits and prosecution faced by journalists and media outlets.

Security in the red

Out of the five indicators, Malaysia’s security indicator is the only indicator that is in the red.

The security indicator in 2024 placed Malaysia in 67th spot with a score of 83.72. This year, Malaysia dropped 23 spots to be ranked at 90.

There is also a drop of 5.56 points to 78.16.

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