MAY 3 2023
Press freedom: Luxembourg back in the top 20
Luxembourg is back in 20th place in 2023, after losing its place in the top 20 in 2022. This is what emerges from the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, published today, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The media landscape in Luxembourg continues to redefine itself "after the vote in 2021 on a new system of support for the press. In principle, the press enjoys genuine freedom of exercise, but the proximity of journalists' interests to political and economic power limits its expression," explains RSF on its website.RSF also points out that "access to information is not guaranteed, despite repeated requests from the journalists' union, which opposes the withholding of public information by the authorities on the pretext of protecting personal data.
A slight step forward for Luxembourg, while the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) yesterday pointed to a worldwide decline in press freedom. Whether by restricting access to the Internet, imprisoning or intimidating journalists, controlling media content or introducing drastic media laws, press freedom is taking a hit.
Political propaganda, economic manipulation, and false content generated by artificial intelligence are all at stake. RSF highlights disinformation in its many forms, exacerbated by the rapid evolution of AI. The report, which assesses the conditions under which journalism is practised in 180 countries and territories, highlights software such as Midjourney that produces high-quality images - taking the photo of Trump's arrest as an example - which further complicate decoding and discerning between true and false information and jeopardise the right to information.
The IFJ calls for "the urgent adoption of a truly binding international instrument, the Convention on the Protection and Safety of Journalists, which will strengthen press freedom by forcing governments to investigate, convict the killers of journalists and respond to attacks on the media.
The press plays a key role in society and guaranteeing its freedom helps to ensure a fair, equitable and informed society.
Author: Jennifer Pierrard - Adapted into English by Natalia Núñez Bolaño
