Namibia gains six places on press freedom index
Namibia gains six places on press freedom index
After losing its top position in Africa on the World Press Freedom Index last year, Namibia has again failed to reclaim the top spot in 2025.
Mauritania, which edged ahead of Namibia last year, dropped 17 places in the latest rankings, while neighbouring South Africa now ranks one spot above Namibia.
Globally, however, Namibia’s ranking improved, climbing from 34th in 2024 to 28th this year. This follows its 22nd-place ranking in 2023.
The index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), assesses press freedom using five indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and the safety of media professionals.
Namibia’s political indicator dropped to 32 out of 100 this year, compared to 45 last year.
The economic indicator improved slightly from 29 to 31.
However, the legal indicator plummeted from 35 to just 13. The sociocultural indicator remained unchanged at 43, measuring the extent to which journalists can work freely without censorship, legal actions or undue restrictions, including access to information and source protection. The safety score also declined, from 34 to 29.
Right to a free press
Zoé Titus, director of the Namibia Media Trust (NMT), last week cautioned that press freedom should not be seen as a concern exclusive to journalists and media professionals.
“I think what people often overlook is that every citizen has the right to a free press. Every citizen has the right to freedom of expression and access to information from a free press,” she said.
“In the absence of a free press, people cannot express themselves freely. I don’t think you can separate freedom of expression from press freedom," Titus added.
"Media freedom is a citizen’s right, and I believe we should consider it more broadly as a society. That way, we’ll better understand why it’s important to push for access to information laws and protections for whistleblowers and witnesses,” she underlined.
– [email protected]
After losing its top position in Africa on the World Press Freedom Index last year, Namibia has again failed to reclaim the top spot in 2025.
Mauritania, which edged ahead of Namibia last year, dropped 17 places in the latest rankings, while neighbouring South Africa now ranks one spot above Namibia.
Globally, however, Namibia’s ranking improved, climbing from 34th in 2024 to 28th this year. This follows its 22nd-place ranking in 2023.
The index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), assesses press freedom using five indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and the safety of media professionals.
Namibia’s political indicator dropped to 32 out of 100 this year, compared to 45 last year.
The economic indicator improved slightly from 29 to 31.
However, the legal indicator plummeted from 35 to just 13. The sociocultural indicator remained unchanged at 43, measuring the extent to which journalists can work freely without censorship, legal actions or undue restrictions, including access to information and source protection. The safety score also declined, from 34 to 29.
Right to a free press
Zoé Titus, director of the Namibia Media Trust (NMT), last week cautioned that press freedom should not be seen as a concern exclusive to journalists and media professionals.
“I think what people often overlook is that every citizen has the right to a free press. Every citizen has the right to freedom of expression and access to information from a free press,” she said.
“In the absence of a free press, people cannot express themselves freely. I don’t think you can separate freedom of expression from press freedom," Titus added.
"Media freedom is a citizen’s right, and I believe we should consider it more broadly as a society. That way, we’ll better understand why it’s important to push for access to information laws and protections for whistleblowers and witnesses,” she underlined.
– [email protected]
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article