KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Malaysia went up by 19 ranks to place 88th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders released today.
The country also went up into the “problematic” category, after dipping into the “difficult” category last year.
“In the Asia-Pacific region, press freedom and access to reliable news sources are severely compromised by the predominance of regimes — often authoritarian — that strictly control information, often through economic means.
“In many countries, the government has a tight grip on media ownership, allowing them to interfere in outlets’ editorial choices,” it said in the report.
“In several countries, the concentration of media ownership in the hands of political magnates threatens media plurality. In India (151th), Indonesia (127th) and Malaysia (88th), a handful of politically connected conglomerates control most media groups,” it added.
MORE TO COME
