Rabat – Morocco ranks 144th on a list of 180 countries in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index report. The publication assesses the state of journalism across 180 countries and territories and is released annually on World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3rd.
Morocco’s ranking regressed from 135th place in 2022 to 144th in 2023. On the North African level, the country ranks behind Algeria and Tunisia.
Algeria ranked at place 136, down from 134 a year earlier. Meanwhile, Tunisia ranked 121 down from 94 in 2022.
As the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, the 2023 Index unveils that the state of press freedom is a matter of concern in a significant number of countries. According to the report, the state of press freedom is “very serious” in 31 countries, “difficult” in 42, “problematic” in 55, and “good” or “satisfactory” in 52 countries.
Norway continues to hold the top spot in the index for the seventh year running. However, Ireland, a non-Nordic country, has now secured the second position, climbing four places in the rankings.
The report also sheds light on the impact of fake content on press freedom. In two-thirds of the 180 countries evaluated by the index, political actors were found to be involved in massive disinformation or propaganda campaigns.
As a result, the line between true and false information is increasingly being blurred, jeopardizing the right to information. The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) to tamper with content is further weakening journalism, which has already been impacted by the Web 2.0 era.
Other threats to freedom of the press include Twitter under the reign of Elon Musk. The new CEO’s payment-based approach to information is further exacerbating the situation.
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