Finland ranks 5th again in Press Freedom Index

Finland ranked fifth for the third consecutive year in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday.

In 2022, Finland´s rank slipped to fifth from second. Finland ranked second for three consecutive years in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Norway has topped the 2024 index for the fourth consecutive year followed by Denmark, Sweden and Netherlands.

Eretria has ended up at the bottom of the list of 180 countries, followed Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran.

The RSF in its report said that media are free in Finland, where the first law prohibiting censorship was adopted under Swedish rule in 1766.

However, state secrecy lawsuits and a court ruling undermining the legal protection of journalists have created a climate of uncertainty in the profession.

The 2024 global index mentioned that Press freedom around the world was being threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors – political authorities.

A growing number of governments and political authorities are not fulfilling their role as guarantors of the best possible environment for journalism and for the public's right to reliable, independent, and diverse news and information.

RSF saw a worrying decline in support and respect for media autonomy and an increase in pressure from the state or other political actors.

“As more than half the world's population goes to the polls in 2024, RSF is warning of a worrying trend revealed by the 2024 World Press Freedom Index: a decline in the political indicator, one of five indicators detailed in the Index. States and other political forces are playing a decreasing role in protecting press freedom. This disempowerment sometimes goes hand in hand with more hostile actions that undermine the role of journalists, or even instrumentalise the media through campaigns of harassment or disinformation,” said RSF editorial director Anne Bocandé.