In the latest press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders, Chile lost one spot. The non-profit highlighted that press work is increasingly dangerous in the country. But Chile was also selected to host Press Freedom day 2024.
Chile ranks 83 of 180 in the press freedom index published annually by Reporters Without Borders, representing a record low for the country.
Last year, Chile ranked 82 and 54 in 2021. In 2016, it ranked 31.
“While freedom of the press is guaranteed by Chile’s constitution and justice system, it is not always respected in practice. Investigative journalism is losing ground, and attacks against reporters are on the rise,” the report said.
On May 1, 2022, journalist Francisca Sandoval was killed while covering a march in Santiago. Officially, Sandoval was the first journalist killed after the end of the dictatorship. Sandoval was shot in the head by an illegal street vendor and subsequently vilified on social media for her political views.
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In Latin America, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Venezuela rank lowest and Costa Rica, Argentina, and Uruguay highest.
Government spokesperson Camila Vallejo went to New York to address a World Press Freedom conference hosted by Unesco.
At a panel, Vallejo said the government was sponsoring a bill “to establish a norm to protect workers who work in the communications field, not only journalists, but also photographers, editors, and those who contribute to news coverage, especially of protests.”
En el panel de ministros/as del #DíaMundialDeLaLibertadDePrensa, me referí al proyecto de ley que hemos patrocinado como Gobierno y que busca garantizar la protección de trabajadores/as de la prensa, basada en la ley marco de la @UNESCO_es.
Pero, ¿de qué se trata? 👇 pic.twitter.com/VEpYj8Jix1
— Camila Vallejo Dowling (@camila_vallejo) May 2, 2023
Unesco nominated Chile to host Press Freedom Day 2024. “We take on this role with deep historical responsibility as this nomination came at a time when our country is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1973 coup d’état,” Vallejo said.
Also read:
This is the official story for the anniversary of the 1973 coup d’état
Chongyang Zhang is pursuing an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s program in journalism, media and globalisation. His interest lies in the relations among the United States, Latin America and China. He is currently doing an exchange semester at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.