Freedom of the press is a precious privilege that no country can forego said the father of Nation Gandhi. Seven decades into independence the freedom of press is under threat. India is three ranks lower than the previous year in the latest World Press Freedom Index report released by media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF).

RSF or Reporters Without Borders complied 2017 World Press Freedom Index reflecting a world in which attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise. India ranked 136 on the list, close to its neighbouring nations Pakistan at 139, Bangladesh at 146 and Afghanistan which the report termed as “difficult situation”.

The reason for the fall in India’s position “With Hindu nationalists trying to purge all manifestations of anti-national thought from the national debate, self-censorship is growing in the mainstream media. Journalists are increasingly the targets of online smear campaigns by the most radical nationalists, who vilify them and even threaten physical reprisals”, states the report

It also held that that media freedom has never been so threatened and RSF’s “global indicator” has never as high as 3872.

Finland which used to top the charts, surrendered its position to Norway followed by Sweden which rose to second position. The United States of America is down by two places at 43rd position while the United Kingdom is down by two places at 40th position due to Donald Trump’s rise to power in the United States and the Brexit campaign respectively. Russia has maintained its status quo of 148.

China at 176 and Vietnam at 175 were termed as are the world’s biggest prisons for journalists and bloggers. North Korea is ranked last at 180th position as even listening to a foreign radio broadcast in the country can lead to a spell in a concentration camp.