A latest Worldwide Press Freedom ranking for 2011-2012 has listed Malawi as one of the worst countries in the world in promoting press freedom.

The study, done by Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders, show that Malawi has plunged 67 places from 79 in 2010 to 146 in 2011/12. The rankings, released on January 27, show that Malawi now ranks 146 out of 225 countries analyzed.

Malawi's fall has been described as the worst for any country and attributed to 'totalitarian' tendencies of President Bingu Wa Mutharika, threats against and arrests of journalists during 20 July 2011 anti-government demonstrations which left 18 people dead and scores of others including journalists injured.

The rights body states that another factor for Malawi's drop was adoption of new, tough media legislation - criticized internationally and which caused some European countries to suspend aid TO Malawi. One such law is the amendment of Section 46 of the Penal Code which gives the Minister of Information the power to ban or close publications deemed "not in the public interest."

Meanwhile, journalists and government officials in the country have reacted differently to the media freedom index report.

MISA Malawi Chairperson Anthony Kasunda has thrown the Chapter's weight behind the report, arguing that the new ranking should be an eye-opener for the Malawi government to re-consider its position on promotion of press freedom.

"The bottom line is for Malawi to support the Constitutional guarantee on media freedom and allow journalists to exercise that freedom...We have seen and continue to experience elements aimed at stifling that freedom.

"We, however, remain optimistic that something positive will come out of this fall in our press freedom ranking. Sometimes, in times like this, one gets positive developments. We hope the authorities are looking into their shortfalls and make things right," Kasunda said.

Kasunda said review of Section 46 of the Penal Code would be a very good starting point for government.

On the other hand, presidential spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba has described Malawi's ranking as unrealistic. Ntaba said: "Dropping 67 places would mean something catastrophic is happening. You know newspapers here are full of insults against the president, against all of us. I am convinced that journalists in Malawi enjoy a measure of freedom that is not found in many countries in the world."

Concurring with Ntaba is government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati who has disputed the report, saying Malawi respects press freedom and the media is free to report on anything.

Malawi is now at position 146 alongside Indonesia. Finland and Norway are ranked number 1, United Kingdom 28, United States 57 and Cape Verde leads in Africa at number 9, just to mention a few.

On the 2009 press freedom index released by the same organisation, Malawi was on position 65. It fell to position 79 on the 2010 index and has further dropped to position 146 on the 2011/2012 index.

According to the report, it is African countries which have seen the biggest falls in the index.

Malawi has been classified as the worst compared to counties known for cracking down on media freedom. Djibouti which has been described as �a discreet little dictatorship in the Horn of Africa� fell just 49 places on the index, Uganda fell 43 places and Ivory Coast fell 41 places.

"Crackdown was the word of the year 2011; never has freedom of information been so closely associated with democracy; never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of freedom so much; never have acts of censorship and physical attacks on journalists seemed so numerous; the equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads necessarily to the suppression of media freedom. Dictatorships fear and ban information, especially when it may undermine them," reads the report in part.

Reporters Without Borders' Worldwide Press Freedom Index is an annual report that uses more than 50 criteria to assess press freedom across the world. These include violations such as murder, assault, threats and censorship from governments, armed militias among others.

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