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SendReporters Without Borders announces its third annual worldwide index of press freedom. Such freedom is threatened most in East Asia (North Korea, Burma, China, Vietnam and Laos) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria and Iraq). The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace for journalists.
Reporters Without Borders announces its third annual worldwide index of press freedom. Such freedom is threatened most in East Asia (with North Korea at the bottom of the entire list at 167th place, followed by Burma 165th, China 162nd, Vietnam 161st and Laos 153rd) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia 159th, Iran 158th, Syria 155th, Iraq 148th).
In these countries, an independent media either does not exist or journalists are persecuted and censored on a daily basis. Freedom of information and the safety of journalists are not guaranteed there. Continuing war has made Iraq the most deadly place on earth for journalists in recent years, with 44 killed there since fighting began in March last year.
But there are plenty of other black spots around the world for press freedom. Cuba (in 166th place) is second only to China as the biggest prison for journalists, with 26 in jail (China has 27).
No privately-owned media exist in Turkmenistan (164th) and Eritrea (163rd), whose people can only read, see or listen to government-controlled media dominated by official propaganda.
The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway), which is a haven of peace for journalists. Of the top 20 countries, only three (New Zealand 9th, Trinidad and Tobago 11th and Canada 18th) are outside Europe.
Other small and often impoverished democracies appear high on the list, such as El Salvador (28th) and Costa Rica (35th) in Central America, along with Cape Verde (38th) and Namibia (42nd) in Africa and Timor-Leste (57th) in Asia.
Reporters Without Borders compiled the index by asking its partner organisations (14 freedom of expression organisations in five continents), its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists, to answer 52 questions to indicate the state of press freedom in 167 countries (others were not included for lack of information).
Jailings, murders and threats
Cuba is last but one (166th place) from bottom of the list and once again the worst violator of press freedom in Latin America. All criticism of President Fidel Castro’s rule is officially a crime. Twenty-six journalists arrested in March last year along with some 50 dissidents are still in prison. The conditional release of two of them was only a faint glimmer of hope since the regime maintained its tight monopoly of all news.
Colombia enjoys a very diverse media but journalists pay for it with their life and two have been murdered in the past year. This was slightly fewer than in 2003 and moved the country up from 147th to 134th place. But working conditions for the media have not really changed. Exposing the abuses of paramilitary and leftist guerrilla forces, as well as corruption of politicians, is still more dangerous than anywhere else in the hemisphere.
Haiti dropped from 100th to 125th place because of increased attacks and threats by supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the months before his fall. The situation has since improved, but journalists in the provinces still have to deal with the ex-soldiers who forced Aristide out and prefer to censor themselves.
Fragile and violent democracies
Mexico (96th place), Peru (123rd) and to some extent Brazil (66th) have mixed press freedom, with a largely confident national press and a provincial one facing serious problems, including journalists being murdered by gangsters or local politicians. Nicaragua fell from 34th to 52nd place because of the killing of journalist Carlos Guadamuz. Argentina (79th) saw no journalists murdered but those in the provinces were threatened, harassed by police and courts and blackmailed by withdrawal of local government advertising.
Bombings, physical attacks and threats to journalists and media hostile to President Hugo Chávez were fewer than last year in Venezuela but remained frequent and partly explain the country’s low place (90th) on the list. However tension has eased a little since Chávez won a 15 August referendum confirming him in office.
The two North American giants score well
A police raid in Canada on the home of journalist Juliet O’Neil and the national regulatory authority’s stand against the pan-Arab radio station Al-Jazeera and the local station CHOI FM downgraded the country to 18th place. Violations of the privacy of sources, persistent problems in granting press visas and the arrest of several journalists during anti-Bush demonstrations kept the United States (22nd) away from the top of the list.
Evaluation by region:
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