World Press Freedom Ranking

[azulmagia]

Link:

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8247

Partial list (out of 166 nations assessed):

1 Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway (tie)
8 Germany
9 Sweden
10 Canada
26 France
27 UK
31 Greece, United States of America (American territory)
44 Israel (Israeli territory), Japan
49 South Korea
50 Australia
53 Italy, Panama
74 Mexico
128 India, Pakistan
130 Palestinian Authority
134 Afghanistan
135 United States of America (in Iraq)
146 Israel (Occupied Territories)
148 Russia
153 Libya
155 Syria
156 Saudi Arabia
159 Vietnam
160 Iran
161 China
165 Cuba
166 North Korea

Cuba is in 165th position, second from last. Twenty-six independent journalists were arrested in the spring of 2003 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 27 years, making Cuba the world's biggest prison for journalists. They were accused of writing articles for publication abroad that played into the hands of "imperialist interests." ....The Israeli army's repeated abuses against journalists in the occupied territories and the US army's responsibility in the death of several reporters during the war in Iraq constitute unacceptable behaviour by two nations that never stop stressing their commitment to freedom of expression.....The war in Iraq played a major role in an increased crackdown on the press by the Arab regimes. Concerned about maintaining their image and facing public opinion largely opposed to the war, they stepped up control of the press and increased pressure on journalists, who are forced to use self-censorship....Saudi Arabia (156th), Syria (155th), Libya (153rd) and Oman (152nd) used all the means at their disposal to prevent the emergence of a free and independent press....France is ranked as low as 26th because of its archaic defamation legislation, the increasingly frequent challenges to the principle of confidentiality of sources and the repeated abusive detention of journalists by police....A truly independent press exists in Russia, but Russia's poor ranking is justified by the censorship of anything to do with the war in Chechnya, several murders and the recent abduction of the Agence France-Presse correspondent in Ingushetia. Russia continues to be one of the world's deadliest countries for journalists. Press freedom is virtually non-existent in much of central Asia, especially Turkmenistan (158th) and Uzbekistan (154th). No criticism of the authorities is tolerated.

Discuss.

[Nemoxs]

*Puts on his smart vest* DAMNIT THIS WAS MY FOOKING CURSE VEST...

[Otohiko]

I'd still put the US lower. Waay lower. Same goes for Canada. Call me a skeptic, but the only way I'd interpret this freedom is as a freedom to pick a bias and stick with it (this is in relation to mainstream press).

On the other hand, it wouldn't be fair to only judge the main press staples. Russia, which is ranked so low (and probably fairly so, since most of its' media is owned by corrupt oligarchy), still has a good, diverse information base, and I dare say a variety of different views is much better presented in press there than it ever was in the US or Canada.

Here, you just have to dig too deep sometimes.

[jonmartensen]

You should have put both of the US ones on there


I can see why we're ranked so low for Iraq. Shooting at (and sometimes hitting) reporters isn't very friendly

[El Banana]

147th place.

Boy does that make you well up in pride.