KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today attributed Malaysia’s drop in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index to action taken against certain media companies, while denying claims that it was due to censorship.

Malaysia was ranked 95th this year, down from 88th in 2025, in the index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Critics have alleged that the ranking reflected growing intolerance for dissent, a charge the government has denied.

Anwar insisted today that press freedom in Malaysia remains “relatively better” than in comparable countries.

“After we assessed the metric used... so when we took action against Sin Chew, for example, that was seen as a strong action that would affect the index,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time.

Sin Chew Daily, a Mandarin-language newspaper, was reprimanded for publishing an illustration of the national flag that contained an error.

Anwar said the matter was resolved “amicably” after a show-cause letter was issued to the paper’s editors.

The incident also led to police and regulatory investigations, internal disciplinary action, and a RM100,000 compound by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

RSF is an international non-profit organisation that tracks global media freedom.