STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders failed to accurately reflect reality, said State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Mohammad A Arafat yesterday.

Bangladesh has been ranked 165th among 180 nations in this year’s index and its position in South Asia is only above Afghanistan. The country’s score dropped to 27.64 out of 100, a decrease from 35.31 last year when it was ranked 163rd.

Addressing a discussion titled “Climate Politics: Role of Media”, Arafat said, “Working on such rankings is fine, but for such an issue, methodological clarity is needed. We won’t accept any errors in methodology or information.”

The Jatiya Press Club organised the discussion.

“These reports highlight our weaknesses, and we’re ready to address them. We’re committed to improving our positions,” Arafat said.

Md Liakath Ali, director of Climate Change at BRAC Urban Development and Disaster Risk Management, presented a keynote titled “Climate Justice: Media in Negotiation”.

There he showed that Bangladesh’s contribution to global warming is only 0.56 percent, yet it ranks as one of the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change. He also highlighted how climate change He said

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