China Remains World’s Biggest Jailer of Journalists, RSF Says

1 week ago

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 1 March: China remains the world’s largest jailer of journalists, with growing transnational repression targeting journalism and the global right to information, according to the 2026 Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders(RSF) on 30 April 2026.

China ranks 178th—third from the bottom out of 180 countries surveyed—just ahead of North Korea (179th) and Eritrea (180th). This marks a further drop of two places from its 176th ranking last year.

China’s near-bottom ranking is reflected across all key indicators used to assess press freedom. It ranks 179th in the political indicator (8.86) and legal indicator (11.03), 177th in the social indicator (15.25), and 173rd in the economic indicator (21.66), pointing to systemic constraints on journalism across governance, legal frameworks, societal conditions, and media sustainability.

Unlike countries where press free...

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