Maldives Media Council (MMC) has revealed that the future is bright for press freedom in the Maldives.

Maldives made significant progress in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) by jumping 19 ranks from its previous position, at 98th during 2019 and is currently at the 79th spot out of the 180 countries this year, second among South Asian countries.

Sending felicitations of the World Press Freedom Day 2020 to media personnel across the nation, the President of MMC, Hidayathullah released a statement on Sunday.

The statement reads that the MMC remains committed to stand by Maldives media to take this achievement to new levels in the future.

The theme for this year’s World Press Freedom Day is, “Journalism without Fear or Favour”, which Hidayathullah said implies that journalists must carry out their duties “without fear or favour” and without leaning towards a particular side in carrying out their journalistic duties.

Further, the statement reminds journalists to do their part as a responsible citizen and give special heed to their safety and security while carrying out their responsibilities, at a time the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has the nation immersed in fear.

In light of this, MMC expressed gratitude to the journalists putting their lives at risk during such challenging times, in order to keep the public well informed and commended their tireless work.