Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md Mahfuj Alam. File Photo

DHAKA, May 2, 2025 (BSS) – Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md Mahfuj Alam today said that Bangladesh has advanced 16 notches in the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) in a year due to the absence of the government interference in the media.

He said this while responding to Bangladesh's position in the WPFI published on the website of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), according to a press release signed by Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Md Mamun Or Rashid today.

Referring to the interim government's initiatives to establish media freedom, the adviser said that all media outlets in the country, including Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television, are now free from government influence.

The government is not interfering in any media organization by making telephone calls, he added.

The government has already taken several initiatives to free and strengthen the country's media, he said, adding that Bangladesh's 16-place advancement in the WPFI proves that the government is working to free and strengthen the country's media.

Mahfuj Alam said that several reform activities will be undertaken very soon as per the recommendations of the Media Reform Commission.

The adviser expressed the hope that Bangladesh will move a few steps further in the WPFI next year and the rights of the country's journalists and media professionals will be protected.

Bangladesh has been ranked 149th out of 180 countries in the WPFI-2025, published on the website of the Paris-based organization RSF on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

Bangladesh’s rank was 165th in the index last year.

Neighboring India is staying two-place below the Bangladesh’s position in the index this year securing 151st place.

When the Awami League government took office in 2009, Bangladesh’s position was 121st in the index.

During the Awami League's rule, Bangladesh has slipped 44 places in the index in the last 15 years.