BEIRUT — Lebanon has fallen 23 places on Reporters Without Borders annual press freedom ranking.
Here's what we know:
• The press freedom advocacy organization Reporters Without Borders issued its 20th annual world press freedom ranking on Tuesday, with Lebanon coming in at 130 out of 180 countries.
• In 2021 Lebanon was ranked 107th out of 180 countries, meaning that Lebanon slide by 23 places in the past year, although comparisons are complicated by the fact that RSF changed its methodology this year to account for new indicators.
• RSF took aim at the ownership patterns in Lebanese media, where most outlets are controlled by political parties or affiliated individuals and media are often made subservient to political objectives.
• The report also criticized Lebanon's over-broad defamation laws, which allow powerful people to sue critical journalists with relative ease.
• The report further found press freedom was hampered by in-person and online harassment of journalists, economic pressures on the industry, and misogyny and racism directed towards women and minority journalists.