Ethiopia ranked 101 on 2021 World Press Freedom Index | “Old bad habits are reemerging”, said RSF

Today, May 3, 2021, the World Press Freedom Day is being celebrated throughout the world in the form of various related activities with a general theme “Information as a Public Good”.

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, gave a statement on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day saying, “The theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, ‘Information as a Public Good’, underlines  the  indisputable  importance  of  verified  and  reliable  information.  It  calls  attention  to  the  essential  role of free and professional  journalists  in  producing  and  disseminating this information, by tackling misinformation and other harmful content.”

According to Reporters Without Borders, Ethiopia has gone down two levels in 2021 with a rank of 101 – as compared to the 99 rank in 2020 – among countries of the world in terms of World Press Freedom Index.

In 2018, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed just assumed power, Ethiopia’s rand on the World Press Freedom Index was 150. Subsequently, major improvements, including releasing jailed journalists, undertook and the country’s rank has gone up in 2019 to 110, and then in 2020 to 99. However, in describing the ongoing and current situation with regard to press freedom in Ethiopia, Reporters Without Borders said, “old bad habits are reemerging”.

Please find the full description and analysis by Reporters Without Borders HERE.