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Released on the 26th of April, the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is back to showcase the degree of freedom that journalists and news organizations have in each country. For Morocco, Media freedom has known a steady and slow decline that was highly translated through its 2017 score. The kingdom was placed 133rd with 42.42 points, according to the report, the country has dropped in the scale by two points compared to last year when it was placed 131st.
Morocco is still one of the countries where Media freedom is repressed, the report indicates that the local authorities have used «economic and political pressure to deter local independent media outlets from covering highly sensitive subject». Authors of the WPFI compiled by Reporters without Borders claim that «the Kingdom has expelled a number of foreign reporters in 2016 on the ground that they did not have permits to film». Furthermore, the annual index points out that journalists have been reportedly threatened and prosecuted when they attempted to report human rights violations.
A new era where media freedom is threatened more than ever
On a global scale, the report was topped by Norway (1st) followed by Sweden (2nd), Finland (3rd), Denmark (4th) and the Netherlands (5th). The Middle East and North Africa region is led by Mauritania that was ranked 55th followed by Tunisia (97th) where the report is supposed to be launched today. However, MENA remains the world’s most difficult and dangerous region for journalists. The ongoing wars and conflicts in all of Libya (163rd), Syria (177th) and Iraq (158th) have made these countries challenging and risky areas for reporters and journalists.
Beside numbers and scores, the annual ranking highlights the danger that the world is witnessing nowadays. According to the report’s authors, the election of Donald Trump in the United States and the Brexit campaign in the United Kingdom have brought the world to a more repressed era. Journalists and the world of Media are driven into the habit of sharing fake news and disinformation. «The obsession with surveillance and violations of the right to the confidentiality of sources have contributed to the continuing decline of many countries previously regarded as virtuous. This includes the United States (down 2 places at 43rd), the United Kingdom (down 2 at 40th), Chile (down 2 at 33rd), and New Zealand (down 8 at 13th)», said the authors of the report.
