The Maldives has fallen 13 spots in the World Press Freedom Index.
Every year, May 3 is marked as World Press Freedom Day.
Reporters Without Borders' annual World Press Freedom Index list, released on World Press Freedom Day, ranks 180 countries. While the Maldives was ranked 87th on the list last year, this year, the Maldives is ranked 100th.
In 2018, the Maldives was ranked 120th and 98th in 2019. The Maldives progressed to 79th in 2020 and on to 72nd in 2021. In 2022, the rank dropped 15 places to 87th.
The report prepared on the Maldives by Reporters Without Borders expressed concern over the Evidence Act, which requires journalists to disclose their information source. However, they also noted that since President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came to power, efforts have been made to ensure freedom of the press.
The report also criticized the advertising practices in Maldivian newspapers. It noted that advertising is allocated without any transparency over oversight, which poses serious problems for the independence of media outlets. It also noted that inadequate action is being taken against threats and attacks on journalists.
