The role of the journalist is to investigate and report on reality, challenging authority where necessary. "The press performs an extremely useful mission – wrote the noted French historian Jules Michelet in 1848 – that of a permanent censorship of the acts of power." Today that role is increasingly threatened and press freedom is under attack in many, far too many, areas of the world, including established democracies. The rise of authoritarian and nationalist leaders, from Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines to Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil to Donald Trump in the United States, has contributed to the increase in acts of violence against journalists, who are being scapegoated with ever greater frequency. Confirmation of this alarming trend comes from the World press freedom 2019, the world press freedom index published annually by Reporters without borders (Rwb).

Politicians who hate journalists

The world press freedom index "shows how hatred towards journalists has degenerated into violence, contributing to an increase in fear," reads the Reporters without borders website. The report thus reveals the growing hostility towards journalists, often stirred up by political leaders, and the number of countries considered safe continues to fall. The situation has not been this serious since 2002, the first year Rwb published the index. The global indicator has worsened by 13 per cent since 2013, and during that period the number of countries in which the situation for journalists is considered good has fallen by 40 per cent.

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What is the World press freedom index

The index calculated by Rwb assesses the level of press freedom in 180 countries each year. It analyses, in particular, the level of pluralism, media independence, the environment in which the media operate and self-censorship, the legal framework, transparency and the quality of the infrastructure supporting the production of news and information. It does not, however, assess the government policies of the states examined.

A dangerous profession

2018 was one of the deadliest years on record for journalists, with more than eighty journalists killed around the world. 2019 has begun just as badly, with twelve media workers already killed. Among these victims we recall Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist murdered last October at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey for being deemed an inconvenience to the Saudi regime, and Lyra McKee, a 29-year-old journalist killed in Northern Ireland a few weeks ago by a young member of the republican dissident group New IRA.

How journalists are obstructed

Despite the risks and threats, many investigative reporters continue to work in the name of truth. To obstruct them, according to the report, some nations such as France and Malta (32nd and 77th respectively in the Rwb ranking) seek to target them financially, while in others, such as Poland and Bulgaria (59th and 111th), journalists who are "too curious" are thrown in prison.

The best countries for journalists

Norway takes first place in the index for the third consecutive year, with Finland and the Netherlands completing the podium. Switzerland dropped from third place last year to fourth, due to an increase in online harassment of journalists. Africa as a whole recorded a worsening of its score in the 2019 index, but also some of the biggest shifts in individual country rankings. Ethiopia, for example, climbed a full 40 positions to rank 110th, thanks to the new government which released all detained journalists.

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The worst countries for journalists

Safe countries for journalists, as mentioned above, are becoming ever fewer. According to the map produced by Rwb, only 24 per cent of the 180 countries examined are classified as "good" (shown in white on the map) or "fairly good" (yellow), compared with 26 per cent in 2018. The Middle East and North Africa, despite some slight improvement, remain the most dangerous places for journalists. The worst countries in the ranking are Turkmenistan, which has taken the last place from North Korea, now second to last, followed by Eritrea, China and Vietnam. Openly authoritarian regimes are particularly dangerous for members of the press, who fall victim to arrests and violence by law enforcement agencies; Venezuela and Russia, for example, rank 148th and 149th.

The collapse of the Americas

Among the countries that have worsened their position are the United States (48th), now classified as a "problematic" country (shown in orange on the map). To give a sense of the climate of hatred towards American journalists, the report cites the shooting at the newsroom of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, in June 2018, when a man (who had repeatedly expressed his hatred of the newspaper on social media) shot and killed four journalists and a sales coordinator. Among the regions of the world examined, the Americas recorded a marked deterioration. Nicaragua (114th) fell 24 places, while Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for journalists, with at least ten murdered in 2018.

Europe fares badly too

Compared with last year, the European Union and the Balkans recorded the second most pronounced worsening (of 1.7 per cent) in the regional score. The Old Continent remains the safest area for journalists and the one where press freedom is most respected, but the data point to a worrying reversal of the trend.

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How is Italy faring

Italy sits in 43rd place and has improved its 2018 ranking by three positions. Here too, however, the authors of the index believe the situation could worsen, citing as an example the dispute between Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and journalist Roberto Saviano. Last June, the Lega leader, after being openly criticised by the journalist, announced his intention to review whether conditions still existed to maintain the police escort assigned to the author of Gomorra.

The weapon of disinformation

The World press freedom 2019 finally warns of the danger posed by disinformation, particularly in certain parts of the world. In Myanmar, for example, the manipulation of social networks has produced a surge in anti-Rohingya hate messages targeting the Rohingya, an ethnic group of Islamic faith, and the seven-year prison sentences handed down to two Reuters journalists for attempting to investigate the Rohingya genocide were regarded as "normal". Censorship, meanwhile, is on the rise in Singapore and Cambodia, "thanks" to the growing influence of China, highlighting the close connection between a country's political system and press freedom.