DILI, 02 May 2025 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste went down by 19 spots to rank 39th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2025 released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday.
The country recorded a score of 71.79 this year, down 7.13 points from last year’s 78.92. But, this score still falls under the category of satisfactory or relatively free.
According to RSF, the “satisfactory” category (70-85 points) indicates that a country’s press freedom situation is considered generally positive, but with room for improvement.
Despite moving down 19 spots, Timor-Leste still holds the highest position among the Southeast Asia Nations.
Among ASEAN countries, the RSF 2025 report placed Thailand at 85th, followed by Malaysia (88th), Brunei (97th), the Philippines (116th), Singapore (123rd), Indonesia (127th), Laos (150th), Cambodia (161st), Myanmar (169th), and Vietnam (173rd).
This year, Norway (1st) Estonia (2nd), Netherlands (3rd), Sweden (4th), Finland (5th), Denmark (6th), Ireland (7th), Portugal (8th), Switzerland (9th), and Czechia (10th) occupied the top 10 positions meanwhile Eritrea remained at the bottom of the list of the 180 countries and territories ranked by the Reporters Without Borders.
RSF reported that no journalist has ever been jailed in connection with their work in Timor-Leste, but the 2014 media law is a permanent threat hanging over journalists and encourages self-censorship.
According to the report, in Timor-Leste, there are still cases where journalists are paid by the organizers to attend press conferences.
“The influence of the Catholic Church, followed by more than 95% of the population, deters journalists from covering some sensitive subjects, such as the emancipation of women, the right to abortion or paedophilia in the clergy,” read the RSF 2025 Report.
Regarding the safety of journalists in this young country, reporters are usually free to report the news and are rarely the targets of harassment or physical attacks. However, they are exposed to many forms of pressure that limit their freedom, including legal proceedings, intimidation, police violence, and public denigration of the media by politicians.
The evaluation of the state of media freedom in the 180 countries is based on five key indicators: the political environment, legal safeguards, editorial independence, transparency, and the safety of journalists.
TATOLI
