The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on the state of press freedom in India, citing the country's rank of 157 in the World Press Freedom Index 2026, which places it in the 'very serious' category.
On World Press Freedom Day, the Congress expressed solidarity with journalists and voices that 'speak truth to power' and strive to protect democratic values.
A free press is the voice of democracy, but today that voice is under attack, the Congress wrote on X.
May 3 serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a recommendation adopted at the 26th Session of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991.
The Windhoek Declaration, a benchmark for ensuring press freedom worldwide, began at a seminar in Windhoek in 1991 and acted as a catalyst to encourage press freedom, independence, and pluralism in Africa and other parts of the world.
