United States Ranked 36th In The World For Press Freedom

The United States is ranked 36th in the world in terms of press freedom, up from 48th last year, according to a report released Wednesday by Reporters Sans Frontieres.

The US is tied with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, South Africa, Spain, and Taiwan in the 36th spot. Iceland, Luxembourg, and Norway are tied for first. Iran, China, Vietnam, Cuba, and North Korea are all featured among the ten lowest-ranked countries.

According to the survey, the index "measures the state of press freedom in the world. It reflects the degree of freedom that journalists and news organisations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom."

The ranking examines "every kind of violation directly affecting journalists (such as murders, imprisonment, physical attacks and threats) and news media (censorship, confiscation of newspaper issues, searches and harassment). And it includes the degree of impunity enjoyed by those responsible for these press freedom violations."

Self-censorship, financial pressure, the legal framework of the media, and the level of independence of the public media are also taken into account.

The report explains the United States' rise from 48th to 36th:

The release of Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami Al-Haj after six years in the Guantanamo Bay military base contributed to this improvement. Although the absence of a federal "shield law" means the confidentiality of sources is still threatened by federal courts, the number of journalists being subpoenaed or forced to reveal their sources has declined in recent months and none has been sent to prison. But the August 2007 murder of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey in Oakland, California, is still unpunished a year later. The way the investigation into his murder has become enmeshed in local conflicts of interest and the lack of federal judicial intervention also help to explain why the United States did not get a higher ranking. Account was also taken of the many arrests of journalists during the Democratic and Republican conventions.

View the entire index below:

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A note on the survey's methodology:

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Comments

[fah]

Its all because of the media bias here in the states. Maybe if you journalists and websites would quit pushing your agendas, things would be different. You have no one to blame but you.

[Jinxykb]

What are they doing to Amy Sedaris!!!!!

[DAdvocate123]

This is a joke!

Even Noam Chomsky would say we have the most free media and press.

Canada doesn't even have a first Amendment.

One can be prosecuted for "hate speech" in most of Europe!!

Who are these people kidding?

[Myshkin57]

Maybe this study is wrong, but your so-called 'evidence' is not relevant to the question at hand. Not having a First Amendment does not indicate the press isn't free, it just indicates that freedom of the press isn't in their consitution. And hate speech laws might impinge on individual freedom of speech but it does not necessarily affect freedom of the press.

[Vandoo]

You don't know what you are talking about.
Constitutional Act
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Part 1
Fundamental Freedoms
a) freedom of conscience and religion;
b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
d) freedom of association.
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/

[Vandoo]

Sorry Myshkin57
I was replying to DAdvocate123

[Strywever]

What do any of the points you make have to do with the issue? Free speech and free press are NOT the same thing.

[Ramirez]

If the government can control the words you may utter it also controls the stories you may report.

[Ramirez]

Fortunately there is a growing backlash against Canadian suppression of speech.
From LifeSiteNews:
*****

Mark Steyn Case Wakes Up Canadian Press to Human Rights Tribunals' Threat to Free Speech
Calgary Herald writer says the Commissions must be "shut down
By Hilary White

TORONTO, December 19, 2007 LifeSiteNews.comm) - Opposition is growing in the press to the power and boldness of the Canadian Human Rights Commissions (HRC) to suppress freedom of expression and to police what Canadians may say in public. While Christians and social conservatives in Canada have been under attack through the HRC's for years, it was not until the case against popular columnist Mark Steyn and Maclean's magazine that the Canadian mainstream media has picked up the scent of a threat to their own freedoms.

In today's Calgary Herald, Rebecca Walberg writes that the Commissions must be "shut down." Earlier this week the National Post protested that the Steyn case is one of "censorship in the name of 'human rights'". The Chilliwack Times ran an editorial calling the Commissions and their tribunals "a powerful ally" in the efforts of some to "further restrict our right to free speech."

The case that has garnered the attention of Canada's mainstream media is that brought by the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) against popular conservative columnist Mark Steyn and Maclean's, Canada's foremost news magazine. Maclean's published an excerpt, headlined "The Future Belongs to Islam," from Steyn's bestselling book "America Alone" ...
**
read more:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07121902.html

[gypsy508]

I agree but only on paper. The British press has always had more license. Yes, it is because the government allows it to do so but still, in practice, there is no question it has more liberties.

[gsuescum]

Interesting that Iraq is 158. I thought they were now "free" and that the reason we went over there was to bring all the values of democracy.

[btanner]

To Republicans, democracy means allowing other countries to open up their markets to US businesses. And when US businesses are beaten at their own game, these piggies cry all the way home and expect the US government to bail them out because, darnit, they contribute lots of money of their favorite politicians via their lobbyists.

[cobobs]

Corporate media oligopoly, that is why or one reason why.

[BluePride]

it's 'cause too few owners control too many outlets...

A 1965 Voting Rights Act national radio ad:
http://current.com/items/89434265_obama_2008_things_are_changing
Similar problems then, too...

[BEHM777]

36th? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.

BEHusseinM777

[Heavy]

We were 37th last time I looked it up to slam a tro ll. Oh what progress we have made....ba­rf.

[TessyRenberg]

Media awareness is sorely lacking in the United States, we are NOT teaching our children how to scrutinize their input and we are paying for it. As for myself, i had a rude awakening in August, after the reporting of the Georgia conflict was so botched up.(my memory is more than three days long)
I have lived in Sweden for a year, there is much more reasonable public debate of issues. Some reasons for this 1. Highly educated citizens- they question everything 2.Governme­nt regulation, providing subsidies to some newspapers with less readers and laws against monopolization. There are also anti-hate laws here. Sorry, but Rush Limbaugh would have been in alot of trouble here, a a long time ago. Perhaps something can be learned from the Nordic media policies.

[nowalnuts]

CNN is a big offender. It's painful how many people are still willing to believe that a lot of the news they see isn't censored big time or put out with certain slants. Americans blindly believing that we have 100% freedom because we live in the usa has been a great advantage to the republican party for way too long.

[shockmagog]

Tonight I tuned into MSNBC, and discovered Pat Buchanan, a person who by all rights should be given no platform whatsoever, being allowed his warped view of reality. In disgust, I flipped over to CNN and discovered somebody else on Larry King--somebody who looked like Pat Buchanan in drag--being allowed her opinion megaphone unabated.

Such is the condition of the American media bubble.

[demfriend]

While I can see the point here with the other coutries allowing more freedom as you only have to watch BBC America and the blended news is way past what I see on the local and the national. The Cables do ok except for Fox which bias is all they do. BUT and it is a huge BUT, there is responsiblitiy of the reporters/­journalist­s here. They have hidden from sight for 8 years except for the occasional break out of the hiddie hole for some good journalists. The basic things we have seen with the current political race is the reluctance of quality people to step out and do the jobs we expect them to do for us. They pandered to and kissed butt on McCain to get on the plane/bus and wrote nonsense to not piss him off so the seat stayed theirs. Others have looked away while the McCain/Palin ticket and camp has lied and stirred racism daily. How many of these we would call reporters have stood their ground and spoke out againest this? The robo calls are the worst and who is yelling the loudest fo them to stop? Look for yourself and we know a few who have done us proud. I like Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow and there is an occasional few others.

[JayeSF]

Well-said. That is, I think, what this small but significant sentence in the article was alluding to:

"Self-censorship, financial pressure, the legal framework of the media, and the level of independence of the public media are also taken into account."

I gotta tell ya...36th.­..that shouldn't make anyone very proud...eh ???

[laborgrunt]

Mali a country thats 90% Muslim is ranked above the US.

[Hirnlego]

The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media. ~ William Colby, former CIA director

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when
everything the American public believes is false."
William Casey, CIA Director (from first staff meeting, 1981)

See Operation MOCKINGBIRD.
"You could get a journalist cheaper than a good call girl, for a couple hundred dollars a month." - CIA operative discussing with Philip Graham, editor Washington Post, on the availability and prices of journalists willing to peddle CIA propaganda and cover stories. "Katherine The Great," by Deborah Davis (New York: Sheridan Square Press, 1991)

"it is possible to fool all the people all the time-when government and press cooperate.­" George Seldes - "legendary investigative reporter"

Media baron Ted Turner apparently agrees: "There's really five companies that control 90 percent of what we read, see and hear. It's not healthy," he said. (John Nichols & Robert W. McChesney in FCC: Public Be Damned, June 2, 2003.) These five huge US communications groups control 85% of prime-time viewing (according to FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps at Columbia Law School, Jan. 16, 2003).
__
Hope this makes people curious enough to study the media...

[SteveMDFP]

Crossreference the agenda for Obama's first 100 days, Item #27:

Get the CIA out of the business of manipulating the US media.

He should be able to do this by executive order.

[TessyRenberg]

Perecption management, buying up newspapers and shutting down their foreign bureaus has been aggressive policies since the 80's.

Bill Moyers encourages us to be vigilant
'Big Media is ravenous. It never gets enough, always wants more. And it will stop at nothing to get it. These conglomerates are an empire, and they are imperial.'

I will put in a word for the Freepress.net here :)

[Daniboy]

There is no country greater than the USA! No country has freed more people and asked for nothing in return. I understand why people want to come here. Only a Lib couldn't figure this out!

[levibatgirl]

Yawn

[Nikola Tesla]

Ever BEEN anywhere else?

[Hirnlego]

Do you know why the former century was sometimes called "The American Century"?

Mostly selfish interests.­.

[krissmiss81]

Has asked for nothing in return? *suppressing laughter* I'm sorry, excuse me. Hey, I understand "why people want to come here", too, but you need to define your standards for "greater". I don't think a culture that reinforces and then criminalizes poverty is very healthy. For an immigrant nation, we do pretty well. But that doesn't mean we can't do better. We've still got a long way to go.

[bbc3341]

I agree, I think America is the best country in the world for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the freedom to object to this opinion!

[fussygorilla]

bbc3341

"best country in the world"? Where have you travled in the world to know? Ranking 36th is too generous considering that all of American MSM is owned by 5 corporations who filter all news and feed the public what distorted news they want. A good reason for overwhelming ignorance about the world in this country and you reflect what I mean. Just look at Sarah Palin selection as a reflection of the leadership of this country. It says it all.

[Daniboy]

Obama has gagged poor Joe Biden-no more press conferences. Joe tells it like it is-Barrack doesn't like that.