In 2022, Portugal ranked seventh and was in the group of eight countries with a “very good situation” for freedom of the press.

According to the 21st edition of the world press freedom ranking, Norway, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Estonia all came above Portugal in the rankings.

RSF underlines that Norway occupies the first place in the 'ranking' for the seventh consecutive year, but - which is unusual - a non-Nordic country is in second place, namely Ireland (which rose four places, to 2nd), ahead of Denmark (which dropped one place to 3rd).

Another highlight of this year's ranking was the fact that the Netherlands (6th) rose 22 positions and regained the position it occupied in 2021, before the murder of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries.

At the other end of the table, there are also changes, with the last three places being occupied exclusively by Asian countries: Vietnam (178th), which “almost completed its hunt for independent reporters and commentators”, China (minus four for 179th), “the world’s biggest journalist harasser and one of the biggest exporters of propaganda content”, and, unsurprisingly, North Korea (180th).

“The World Press Freedom Index reveals an enormous volatility of situations, with great rises and falls and unprecedented changes, such as the rise of 18 places in Brazil and the fall of 31 places in Senegal”, says the secretary of the RSF, Christophe Deloire, quoted in the report.

“This instability is the result of increased aggressiveness from authorities in many countries and growing animosity towards journalists on social media and in the physical world. Volatility is also a consequence of the growth of the fake content industry, which produces and distributes disinformation and provides the tools to manufacture it”, adds Deloire.