Media Freedom List: US ranked #48 compared to #17 in 2002

[babylonsister]

Eritrea at bottom of media freedom list

Tue Oct 16, 3:01 PM ET

PARIS - Eritrea, North Korea, and Turkmenistan are the world's worst violators of media freedom, according to a list released Tuesday by the advocacy group Reporters Without Borders.

Northern European nations Iceland, Norway and Estonia were deemed the countries where journalists have the most liberty.

The worst offenders, in order, were Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Iran, Cuba, Myanmar and China.

The United States was ranked 48 on a list of 169, gaining ground slightly for the first time since Reporters Without Borders began compiling the list five years ago. In 2002 when the group released its first list, the United States was 17th, but has since steadily declined because of limits on journalists linked to the war in Iraq and anti-terrorism policies. Last year it was 53rd.

Repressive governments are increasingly targeting bloggers, the group said. At least 64 people are currently imprisoned worldwide because of what they posted on the Internet, most of them in China which ranked 163rd.

War was a key reason for violations of media freedoms, the group said. Hostage-takings in the Palestinian territories and fighting in Somalia and Sri Lanka hurt their rankings.

more...

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/linkframe.php?linkid=43932

[Clark2008]

1. It's not "war" in the US - it's media consolidation.

Revive the Fairness Doctrine!

[NewJeffCT]

2. Not just the war

intimidation of journalists by the White House and the RW slime machine has played a huge part as well...

[blondeatlast]

3. Indeed. The slide into dictatorship is mirrored by the slide of journalism.

The journalists were fat, dumb, abnd happy until Katrina happened and all of a sudden their blinders came off--far, far too late to save their pillar of democracy.

Thankfully, the internet was ahead of their corruption.