U.S falls to 47th in press freedom rankings after Occupy crackdown
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The Raelian Movement
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091948/U-S-falls-47th-press-freedom
-rankings-Occupy-crackdown.html
U.S falls to 47th in press freedom rankings after Occupy crackdown
By Ellen Connolly
Last updated at 7:06 AM on 26th January 2012
Sweeping protests around the world made it an extremely difficult year for
the media, and tested journalists as never before, the annual report into
press freedom reveals.
The annual report by Reporters Without Borders has been released, showing
the United States fell 27 points on the list due to the many arrests of
journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests.
The slide in the United States places it just behind Comoros and Taiwan in a
group with Argentina and Romania.
Under arrest: Journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests found
themselves the target of authorities
Under arrest: Journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests found
themselves a target of authorities
Reporters Without Borders said the heightened unrest around the world
resulted in a significant shake-up of the group's annual Press Freedom
Index, which assesses governments' commitment to protecting media freedoms.
The Paris-based non-governmental Reporters Without Borders has named
"crackdown" the word of 2011 in an assessment of global media freedom during
a year in which journalists covering sweeping protests were tested as never
before.
The non-governmental organisation seeks to defend journalists' freedom to
work and combat censorship internationally.
Despite the big changes, some constants remained. The country with the
freest media in the world was Finland, followed by Norway, Estonia, the
Netherlands and Austria. Eritrea was last, with North Korea just above.
The United States was not alone in the falling grades: Bahrain fell 29
points because of the crackdown in that country.
Egypt and Syria also fell a few points to languish near the bottom of the
pack (166) and (176) respectively.
The group judged that Syria, along with Iran and China, 'seem to have lost
contact with reality as they have been sucked into an insane spiral of
terror.'
Pakistan was the world's deadliest country for journalists, and Eritrea came
in last in the list of overall press freedom.Syria, where an uprising
against the government has been met with a brutal crackdown that has left
more than 5,000 people dead, received its worst rating ever at 176.
Press freedom? Journalists sit it out in a hallway as gun-battles continue
around the Rixos hotel in Tripoli, Libya, in August last year
Press freedom? Journalists sit it out in a hallway as gun-battles continue
around the Rixos hotel in Tripoli, Libya, in August last year
In Afghanistan (150th) and Pakistan (151st), reporters remained under
constant threat from the Taliban, religious extremists, separatist movements
and political groups. With 10 deaths last year, Pakistan was the world's
most dangerous country for journalists for the second year in a row.
'Never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of
freedom so much. Never have acts of censorship and physical attacks on
journalists seemed so numerous.
Press coverage: Demonstrators are confronted by police as they march to the
White House following removal of Wall St protestors from New York's Zuccotti
Park
Clashes: Occupy demonstrators are confronted by police as they march to the
White House
The equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads
necessarily to the suppression of media freedom. Dictatorships fear and ban
information, especially when it may undermine them,' it said.
Elsewhere within the European Union, countries such as Bulgaria (80th),
Greece (70th) and Italy (61st) failed to address the issue of media freedom
violations, largely because of a lack of political will.
Libya came in 154th in the list, while Yemen was in 171th place.'
'The future of both of these countries remains uncertain, and the place they
will allow the media is undecided.
The same goes for Egypt, which fell 39 places to 166th place.'
Syria was 176th, because journalists were unable to work because of total
censorship, widespread surveillance, indiscriminate violence and government
manipulation.
The report also highlights how pro-democracy movements that tried to emulate
the example of the Arab revolutions were brutally suppressed. Vietnam
(172nd) saw many arrests, while China (174th) stepped up its system of
controlling news and information in response to public dissatisfaction with
corruption and other injustices.
The biggest falls in the index were in Africa - Djibouti fell 49 places to
159th, Malawi (146th) fell 67 places and Uganda fell 43 places to 139th.
The Paris-based press freedom watchdog said Wednesday that the wave of
uprisings in the Middle East, the Occupy movement in the West and continued
protests in China gave journalists an unprecedented role in advancing
democracy. But they also were often targeted by governments trying to quash
dissent.
'Never has freedom of information been so closely associated with democracy.
Never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of
freedom so much,' the group said in a statement accompanying its report.
But the important role journalists played put them in the cross hairs of
repressive regimes, the report said, adding: 'Never have acts of censorship
and physical attacks on journalists seemed so numerous.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091948/U-S-falls-47th-press-freedom
-rankings-Occupy-crackdown.html#ixzz1kpQG1cKC
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