The News Lens
Date: 2016/04/21
Translated and compiled by Bing-sheng Lee
Taiwan ranks 51 in the latest World Press Freedom Index, which is widely seen
as the benchmark of press freedom around the world.
On April 20, Reporters Without Borders (RWB), a France-based international non-profit, non-governmental organization that advocates and safeguards freedom of information, released its 2016 World Press Freedom Index report.
Taiwan is ranked 51 among 180 countries in this year’s index, which is the same as last year’s result.
According to RWB, the press freedom report is published each year in spring and the index is made based on “an evaluation of media freedom that measures pluralism, media independence, the quality of the legal framework and the safety of journalists in 180 countries.”
Even though Taiwan ranks the highest among all the Asian nations in the index, Delphine Halgand, US director of Reporters Without Borders, says that there is still concerns over Taiwan’s press freedom. She says that some people are worried about China’s influence over Taiwan’s media and some Taiwanese media have already changed its stance toward a more pro-China position. [FULL STORY]