File photo for reference only

 

The Philippines has reached its highest press freedom ranking in over 20 years, climbing from 134th to 116th in the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). This improvement comes even as the country's media landscape contends with severe financial difficulties categorized as "very serious" — the most concerning classification in the Index.

 

The latest report, published on May 2, highlights a slight improvement in the Philippines' press freedom indicators across the board. The country's overall score rose to 49.57 from 43.36 last year, indicating a generally "difficult" environment for journalism. Despite these gains, the Philippines' political and economic scores remain around 39, continuing to place the country in RSF’s “very serious” category for these metrics.

 

RSF’s classification system ranges from "good" (85-100 points) to "very serious" (0-40 points). The organization's analysis reveals that economic fragility poses a growing global threat to press freedom, noting that media outlets achieve financial stability "with difficulty" — or "not at all" — in at least 160 of the 180 countries assessed in the Index.

 

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines stands out as one of the few countries to slightly improve its economic score, unlike 20 out of 32 countries and territories in the region where economic indicators declined.

 

The Philippine media landscape has experienced significant consolidation, with top media companies concentrating ownership further. On the same day the Index was released, the Philippine Daily Inquirer announced it would transfer its newspaper publication to its sister company, Inquirer Interactive Inc., starting July 1, ensuring affected employees will receive appropriate separation benefits.

 

Economic challenges continue to impact the media industry heavily. In January 2024, CNN Philippines closed due to financial losses, affecting around 300 jobs. Similarly, ABS-CBN laid off 100 employees in October because of low advertising revenue and other industry challenges. The Commission on Human Rights highlighted these economic struggles last November, urging media companies to be more transparent about their layoff policies.

 

Though specifics on last year's conditions in the Philippines were not detailed, RSF noted that independent online media, offering alternative journalism platforms, face uncertain economic viability.

 

These economic pressures underscore the challenges faced by Philippine media, balancing an improved press freedom ranking against the stark realities of financial instability in the industry.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from PhilStar 2025-05-02

 

 

Interesting to see how low the USA compares with other western countries, Israel not faring well too.

 

https://rsf.org/en/index