She says, “Eritrea doesn’t have the traditional form of press freedom, in the sense that the television, local newspapers and radio is all run by the government.” However, while the lack of independent news in most cases negatively impacts a country’s press freedom ranking, our source was quick to defend her country’s actions. “The crackdown on the private press was because they were accused of receiving funds from foreign governments and were using those funds to incite destabilisation.” A line that sounds eerily similar to that used by various governments around the world to crack down on dissenting voices.

Meanwhile, in India, the Constitution doesn’t specifically provide for the Freedom of Press. However, it has been included as part of the Freedom of Speech and Expression under the Article 19 of the constitution. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, journalist and author, wasn’t too fussed about the report. “Freedom of press in India is better off than many parts of the world, but that’s not to say that we don’t need any improvement.” Thakurta felt that if India was to improve its ranking with regards to press freedom, then amending our defamation laws would be a good first step. “Defamation should be made a civil offence and not a criminal offence. These suits are used to intimidate and harass people.”