In press freedom index, Middle Eastern countries go from bad to worse - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Dec 12, 2022

A man walks past a French-language daily newspaper stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper "Liberté" in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images) — A man walks past a news stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper Liberté in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. — RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images

The majority of Middle Eastern and North African countries sank further on press freedom in 2022, with the most drastic drops in region observed in Tunisia, Palestine and Lebanon.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its annual press freedom index this week, which reviews the state of journalism in 180 countries, assessed a record number of 28 countries as “very bad” in 2022.

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