Gulf states slump in media freedom index

The parlous state of the region’s media has been highlighted in the latest World Press Freedom Index from the Reporters Without Borders advocacy group. Four of the six Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states fell in the rankings since last year. Kuwait was down one place to 104 out of 180 countries, followed by the UAE at 119 (no change), Qatar at 123 (down six), Oman at 126 (down one), Bahrain at 164 (down two) and Saudi Arabia at 168 (down three).