A sharp decline in Bhutan’s global press freedom ranking has prompted serious questions in Parliament, as lawmakers called on the government to address concerns over media independence and access to information. The country now stands at 152nd place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
During a question hour session in the National Assembly, Members of Parliament expressed alarm at Bhutan’s consistent fall on the index, which ranked the country 33rd in 2022, 90th in 2023, 147th in 2024, and now 152nd in 2025.
Maenbi-Tsaenkhar MP Tempa Dorji said the trend raises concerns about democratic transparency. “This steady drop suggests that people are not receiving timely access to information, which undermines the integrity of our democratic discourse,” he said.
Gangzur-Minjey MP Loday Tsheten pressed the government on what measures it is taking to protect media freedom and ensure journalists can work without fear of political interference. “Independent journalism is vital for democracy. What steps are being taken to reverse this worrying decline?” he asked.
Responding to the questions, Industry, Commerce and Employment Minister Namgyal Dorji questioned the reliability of the RSF ranking, calling its methodology “unclear” and expressing skepticism about its credibility.
“The report should not define the state of our country’s press freedom,” Minister Dorji said. “We found that out of 200 media professionals in Bhutan, only three confirmed having participated in the RSF’s survey—and even that data was from the previous year, not for 2025.”
The minister said that no incidents of political reprisal have been reported and that the press continues to function independently. He also cited government initiatives to support media development, including training programs and the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures aimed at improving access to information.
Despite the government’s defense, the RSF report highlighted self-censorship as a major concern under its social indicator. Bhutan scored particularly low in this category, with many journalists reportedly avoiding sensitive topics out of fear of disrupting the social order.
The World Press Freedom Index assesses media freedom across 180 countries based on five indicators: political, economic, legislative, social, and security environments. Bhutan’s poor score in the social component played a significant role in its overall drop.
As the debate unfolds, both lawmakers and media professionals appear to agree on at least one point: for Bhutan’s democracy to thrive, ensuring a free and fearless press remains essential.
