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Hong Kong has dropped to the bottom of the press freedom rankings

Last Updated on 2022/05/16

According to a recent report released by Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong has dropped down an international press freedom ranking as authorities have used a harsh new security law to stifle critical news outlets and imprison journalists.

Reporters Without Borders has assessed nations and territories throughout the world based on how free their press is over the past two decades. The methodology underlying the realization of this ranking takes into consideration some parameters such as journalists killed, imprisoned, etc.

Under Chinese sovereignty, Hong Kong, a regional media center for both foreign and local media, has progressively declined. It has dropped 68 spots to 148th rank in the last year, sandwiching the international commercial center between the Philippines and Turkey.

Norway came up on top, followed by Denmark and Sweden. In a press freedom ranking, South Korea came in 43rd place, while North Korea was named the worst offender.

More structural difficulties afflict the Asia-Pacific area, which is home to more than half of the world’s population. The first of these is the government’s policy of total information control. While North Korea (180th) is the least free country in the world, China (175th) continues to expand its media management regime outside its boundaries. As a result, the semi-autonomous area of Hong Kong (148th), which is currently under Beijing’s jurisdiction, has dropped the most in the 2022 Index (68 places). Vietnam’s (174e) and Singapore’s (139e) governments have similarly strengthened their influence over the media.

Below is the ranking of the press’ freedom in some countries including China, Hong Kong, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Among the top 10 positions, there are 9 countries of the European Union.

CountryGlobal scoreGlobal ranking
Norway92.651
Denmark90.272
Sweden88.843
Estonia88.834
Finland88.425
Ireland88.306
Portugal87.077
Costa Rica85.928
Lithuania84.149
Liechtenstein84.0310
New Zealand83.5411
Germany82.0416
Canada81.7419
United Kingdom78.7124
France78.5326
Taiwan74.0838
Australia73.7739
United States72.7442
Italy68.1658
Japan64.3771
Israel59.6286
Ukraine55.76106
Singapore44.23139
Hong Kong41.64148
Turkey41.25149
Russia38.82155
China25.17175
North Korea13.92180

Source: Reporters Without Borders

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