Bangladesh ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2022 showing that the country slipped ten notches compared to 2021 Index.
Reporters Without Borders, also known as Reporters sans frontieres (RSF), released the index on Tuesday marking the World Press Freedom Day. Bangladesh’s position was 152nd last year.
The Internet plays a growing role in the circulation of news and information, said the report. The government’s comment on it was not immediately available.
The two leading state broadcasters, Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar radio, function as government propaganda outlets.
The densely populated private sector media landscape includes 3,000 print media outlets, 30 radio stations, 30 TV channels and several hundred news websites, said the RSF.
The two “all news” channels, Somoy TV and Ekattor TV, are very popular.
The two leading dailies, the Bengali-language Prothom Alo and English-language The Daily Star, manage to maintain a certain editorial independence, it said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s neighbor India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position from last year’s 142nd rank out of 180 countries, according to the report by the global media watchdog.
The ranking of India’s neighbours, except that of Nepal, have also slid down, with the index placing Pakistan at 157th position, Sri Lanka 146th, Bangladesh 162nd and Maynmar at 176th position.
According to the RSF 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Nepal has climbed up by 30 points in the global ranking at 76th position.
Last year, the Himalayan nation had been placed at 106th position, Pakistan at 145th, Sri Lanka 127th, Bangladesh 152nd and Myanmar at 140th position in the index.
This year, Norway (1st) Denmark (2nd), Sweden (3rd) Estonia (4th) and Finland (5th) grabbed the top positions, while North Korea remained at the bottom of the list of the 180 countries and territories ranked by the Reporters Without Borders.
