Tuesday 24 October, 2006
Dragon Press
Reporters without borders released their yearly rankings for the freedom of press in each country. I have to say I am proud that Finland tops the list! North Korea being at the bottom of the pile. Some interesting quotes:
The United States (53rd) has fallen nine places since last year, after being in 17th position in the first year of the Index, in 2002. Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the president used the pretext of “national security” to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his “war on terrorism.” The zeal of federal courts which, unlike those in 33 US states, refuse to recognise the media’s right not to reveal its sources, even threatens journalists whose investigations have no connection at all with terrorism.
Freelance journalist and blogger Josh Wolf was imprisoned when he refused to hand over his video archives. Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj, who works for the pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, has been held without trial since June 2002 at the US military base at Guantanamo, and Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein has been held by US authorities in Iraq since April this year.
France (35th) slipped five places during the past year, to make a loss of 24 places in five years. The increase in searches of media offices and journalists’ homes is very worrying for media organisations and trade unions. Autumn 2005 was an especially bad time for French journalists, several of whom were physically attacked or threatened during a trade union dispute involving privatisation of the Corsican firm SNCM and during violent demonstrations in French city suburbs in November.
Rising nationalism and the system of exclusive press clubs (kishas) threatened democratic gains in Japan, which fell 14 places to 51st. The newspaper Nihon Keizai was firebombed and several journalists phsyically attacked by far-right activists (uyoku).
Denmark (19th) dropped from joint first place because of serious threats against the authors of the Mohammed cartoons published there in autumn 2005. For the first time in recent years in a country that is very observant of civil liberties, journalists had to have police protection due to threats against them because of their work.
Two countries moved into the Index’s top 20 for the first time. Bolivia (16th) was best-placed among less-developed countries and during the year its journalists enjoyed the same level of freedom as colleagues in Canada or Austria.
Japan surprised me, I never would have expected free press being attacked in that country. Full article is over here. It is well worth your time.
There seems to be a negative link between country size and freedom of press. Russia and China are both very low (deservedly), and India at 105th isn't that great either. US is among the bottom of the Western democracies.
Maybe EU wouldn't fare that well either, if the islamic threats in Denmark and France would be counted together with whatever took Poland low.
# 2 - Dragon (on October 24, 2006 05:03 PM):
Interesting comment about the size of the country (I am presuming you are referring to the population size, Canada is huge and enjoys extremely high standing).
US slide is worrying (especially considering that Freedom of Press is one of their constitutional rights), and Cuba really should do the right thing and free the imprisoned journalists. I won't even go to the situation in North Korea and most of the Middle-East.
It is a pity that this list has not gotten more media attention.
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