MALAYSIA recorded the worst deterioration out of 180 countries in the annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom index, due in part to a recent “anti-fake news” law “allowing the government to impose its own version of the truth”.

Malaysia fell 18 places in the ranking to 119.

RSF’s World Press Freedom Index also found 73 countries “totally blocked or seriously impeded” journalism, while it was “constrained” in 59 others, adding that many governments had used the pandemic to worsen repression.

“Journalism is the best vaccine against disinformation,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, its production and distribution are too often blocked by political, economic, technological and, sometimes, even cultural factors.”

Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, China and Djibouti fared worst overall in this year’s RSF ranking.

Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Costa Rica were ranked highest.

The Middle East and North Africa region continues to be the most repressive for journalists, the report found, highlighting the worsening situation in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria over the past year.

“In this region, still the toughest and most dangerous for journalists, the pandemic has exacerbated the problems that have long plagued the press, which was already in its death throes,” it said.

Anti-fake news law

The Malaysian government had on March 11 gazetted an ordinance rendering the “creation, offering, and publishing” of “fake news” related to Covid-19 unlawful.

The Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 stipulates that any person who fails to comply will be liable to a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or a maximum three years of prison, or both.

Under the ordinance, “fake news” is defined as any news, information, data and reports “which is wholly or partly false relating to Covid-19 or the proclamation of emergency, whether in the forms of features, visuals or audio recordings or in any other form capable of suggesting words or ideas”.

Police have been authorised to arrest any person believed to have committed or attempted to commit an offence under the ordinance.

Meanwhile, RSF said the global level of media freedom remained largely stable overall for the past year, but noted that the figures had deteriorated by 12% since the ranking was first launched in 2013.

Part of the problem is falling trust in journalists, fuelled by political polarisation and online misinformation.

RSF noted a recent survey by the Edelman Trust that found 59% of respondents across 28 countries believed journalists deliberately misled the public.

The World Press Freedom Index is based on questionnaires sent to experts around the world, combined with data on abuse and acts of violence against journalists to form a picture that includes pluralism, media independence, self-censorship and other factors. – AFP, April 20, 2021.