India slips in ‘2023 World Press Freedom Index’, ranks 161 out of 180 nations

Current Context: According to the 2023 World Press Freedom Index12 – which evaluates the environment for journalism in 180 countries and territories and is published on World Press Freedom Day (3 May) – India ranks 161 out of 180 nations.

• This is a drop of five places from its previous rank of 156 in 2022.
• The top three countries that enjoy the most protective freedom of the press are Norway, /Ireland and Denmark. Norway has a self-regulated press and it is for the seventh time that this Northern European country remained dominant
• The index shows that the situation for press freedom in India is very serious and has deteriorated due to increased aggressiveness on the part of the authorities, growing animosity towards journalists on social media and in the physical world, and the rapid effects of the digital ecosystem’s fake content industry.

Question:

Q.1 Which country ranked first in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index for the seventh time?
a. Denmark
b. Norway
c. Ireland
d. Sweden