* Rwanda says report unfounded, watchdog lazy
* Rwanda ranked 169/178 for press freedoms
KIGALI, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Rwanda dismissed on Thursday a media watchdog report on press freedom which ranked the central African nation with authoritarian states such as Burma and North Korea.
The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) index placed Rwanda 169 out of 178 nations, its worst position since the index was launched in 2002.
"We dismiss as totally unfounded and misleading the 2010 Reporters Without Borders report. It would be accurate to rank the Paris-based body the laziest and most irresponsible (organisation)," Protais Musoni, Rwanda's acting information minister, told Reuters.
"How can it claim to protect journalists while using very un-journalistic virtues of hearsay, lack of verification, imbalance and indifference," he said.
RSF said Rwanda, Yemen and Syria had joined Burma and North Korea among the world's most repressive countries towards journalists.
"Unfortunately, the trend in the most authoritarian countries is not one of improvement," the watchdog said it its report released on Wednesday.
Campaigning ahead of Rwanda's presidential election in August was marred by a government crackdown on dissent and critical media, rights groups and opposition leaders said at the time, citing the shooting dead of a local journalist.
Two local papers were also closed down in the run up to the poll, which Kagame won by a landslide. (Reporting by Kezio-Musoke David; Editing by Richard Lough)
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