Independent journalism plays vital role against disinformation: President

Independent journalism plays a vital role against disinformation within the society, said President Dr Mohamed Muizzu in a post on X.

The president's post on the occasion of press freedom day highlighted the role of journalism in protecting democracy, the human dignity and ensuring justice.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining journalistic ethics and circulating reliable information for the welfare of society, describing press freedom as essential for the freedom of expression and building a transparent and accountable environment.

This year's theme for Press Freedom Day is Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.

According to the president, if the use of AI is transparent, it could be used to automate information analysis, enhance delivery of information further, and combat disinformation.

In the post, he also assured that he was determined to maintain the freedom, independence and accountability of the media.

This year, Maldives ranked 104th with 52.46 points and moved up two places compared to last year in the annual World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Last year, Maldives ranked 106th on the list, also with 52.46 points, marking no notable improvement in score this year. As in previous years, Maldives still remains classified among challenging environments for practicing journalism.