PHL still one of most dangerous countries for media —Reporters Without Borders

The Philippines' rank in the 2017 World Freedom Index has improved, but it is still one of the most dangerous countries for the media, the Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres, RSF) said on Wednesday.

The Philippines ranked 127th out of 180 countries in the survey, garnering a global score of 41.08. In 2016, the Philippines ranked 138th.

The Philippines was labeled with "red," which implies a "bad" press freedom situation.

"Although fewer journalists have been killed in connection to their work in recent years, Philippines continues to be one of the most dangerous countries for the media," RSF said.

"Private militias, often hired by local politicians, silence journalists with complete impunity," it added.

The RSF also expressed concern over the state of journalists at the time of Duterte administration.

"The media are fairly free and diverse, but Rodrigo Duterte, who was sworn in as President in June 2016, has alarmed media freedom defenders with his unveiled encouragement of violence against journalists," it explained.

Countries in the Top include Norway (7.60); Sweden (8.27); Finland (8.92); Denmark (10.36); Netherlands (11.28); Costa Rica (11.93); Switzerland (12.13); Jamaica (12.73); Belgium (12.75) and Iceland (13.03).

North Korea, meanwhile, was at the bottom place, garnering a score of 84.98. It was labeled black, which means there is a "very bad" press freedom situation in the country.

Published annually since 2002, the World Freedom Index ranks 180 countries according to the level of freedom available to journalists. It is a snapshot of the media freedom situation based on an evaluation of pluralism, independence of the media, quality of legislative framework and safety of journalists in each country. —ALG, GMA News