PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index by publisher Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was not based on first-hand observations by the organisation, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said he had an online meeting with RSF to discuss Malaysia’s drop in the rankings, to which the publisher said the ranking was decided following feedback from survey respondents.
“(RSF) said the press freedom index was drawn up based on feedback from respondents who filled out a survey.
“It is not necessarily based on (RSF’s) own efforts on the ground,” he said during a post-cabinet press conference at his ministry, here today.
Fahmi said RSF also welcomed engagement with the ministry, and is ready to cooperate with the government to boost local media freedom.
At the same time, he said RSF has been invited to this year’s National Journalists’ Day celebration, which will take place from May 25 to 27 in Kuching.
On May 3, RSF announced that Malaysia ranked 107th in the World Press Freedom Index 2024, a major drop from its 73rd spot a year before.
Malaysia’s global score of 52.07 this year also placed its press freedom in the “difficult” category.
A day later, Fahmi argued that Malaysia’s ranking was still considered “good” compared to the previous government.
He also said the index ranking should not be regarded as the “golden” standard as it fails to consider Eastern values. – May 15, 2024