KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 – Malaysia has fallen to 95th place in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, down from 88th last year with a score of 52.73 points.
Despite the decline, Malaysia remains second in Southeast Asia behind Thailand (92nd), ahead of Brunei (96th) and Singapore (123rd).
The report highlighted declines across political, economic, legal and sociocultural indicators, reflecting concerns over media independence, financial sustainability and regulatory pressures.
However, Malaysia recorded improvement in the security indicator, indicating better journalist safety. Globally, RSF warned press freedom has reached a 25-year low.
With over half of countries now classified as having “difficult” or “very serious” conditions, driven by increasing legal restrictions and pressures on journalism worldwide.
