Congress on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the state of press freedom in India, citing the country’s 157th position in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, which places it in the “very serious” category.
On World Press Freedom Day, Congress said a free press is the voice of democracy, but claimed it was under attack. In a post on X, she expressed her solidarity with journalists and voices who “speak truth to power” and strive to protect democratic values.
The Congress wrote on
May 3 is a reminder to governments that they must respect their commitment to freedom of the press. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals on issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is an opportunity to celebrate the basic principles of press freedom; Assess the state of press freedom around the world; Defending the media from attacks targeting its independence; I pay tribute to the journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The United Nations General Assembly declared World Press Freedom Day in 1993 following a recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of the General Conference of UNESCO in 1991. This in turn was a response to the call of African journalists who in 1991 issued the historic Windhoek Declaration.
The Windhoek Declaration is a standard for ensuring freedom of the press around the world. It began at a symposium held in Windhoek in 1991, but the ideas exchanged by African journalists and media professionals served as a catalyst to encourage press freedom, independence and pluralism in Africa and other parts of the world.
