South Africa ranks 31 out of 180 countries in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index
20 June 2019
Brand South Africa welcomes South Africa’s performance in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI). While the country’s ranking declines by three positions to 31/180 from 28/180 in 2018, South Africa remains in a strong position in terms of its global position in press freedom.
Contextualising the decline, General Manager for Research at Brand South Africa, Dr Petrus de Kock notes that some threats were perceived to the freedom of action of journalists, which according to the survey includes cases where journalists were harassed or subjected to intimidation in cases of reporting on some sensitive issues including: government finances, redistribution of land, and corruption.
Dr de Kock adds that “while these are some of the challenges raised by journalists through the WPFI survey, it is clear from the country’s performance in the index that South Africa maintains an extremely free press environment. South Africa’s improved ranking since 2013 illustrates a systemic strengthening of press freedom in a democratic society.”
For a global point of reference, it is noteworthy that the 2019 WPFI reports that France and the United Kingdom rank just behind South Africa in terms of press freedom at 32/180, and 33/180 respectively. The United States of America ranks far below South Africa for press freedom, at 48/180. Two major African states Kenya and Nigeria rank 100/180 and 120/180 respectively.