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Reporters Without Borders publishes
the first worldwide press freedom index.
The first worldwide index of press freedom
has some surprises for Western democracies. The United States ranks
below Costa Rica and Italy scores lower than Benin. The five countries
with least press freedom are North Korea, China, Burma, Turkmenistan
and Bhutan.
Surprises among Western democracies : US below
Costa Rica and Italy below Benin
Reporters Without Borders
is publishing for the first time a worldwide index of countries
according to their respect for press freedom. It also shows that
such freedom is under threat everywhere, with the 20 bottom-ranked
countries drawn from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. The
situation in especially bad in Asia, which contains the five worst
offenders - North Korea, China, Burma, Turkmenistan and Bhutan.
The top end of the list
shows that rich countries have no monopoly of press freedom. Costa
Rica and Benin are examples of how growth of a free press does
not just depend on a country's material prosperity.
The index was drawn up
by asking journalists, researchers and legal experts to answer
50 questions about the whole range of press freedom violations
(such as murders or arrests of journalists, censorship, pressure,
state monopolies in various fields, punishment of press law offences
and regulation of the media). The final list includes 139 countries.
The others were not included in the absence of reliable information.
In the worst-ranked countries,
press freedom is a dead letter and independent newspapers do not
exist. The only voice heard is of media tightly controlled or
monitored by the government. The very few independent journalists
are constantly harassed, imprisoned or forced into exile by the
authorities. The foreign media is banned or allowed in very small
doses, always closely monitored.
Right at the top of the
list four countries share first place - Finland, Iceland, Norway
and the Netherlands. These northern European states scrupulously
respect press freedom in their own countries but also speak up
for it elsewhere, for example recently in Eritrea and Zimbabwe.
The highest-scoring country outside Europe is Canada, which comes
fifth.
Some countries with democratically-elected
governments are way down in the index - such as Colombia (114th)
and Bangladesh (118th). In these countries, armed rebel movements,
militias or political parties constantly endanger the lives of
journalists. The state fails to do all it could to protect them
and fight the immunity very often enjoyed by those responsible
for such violence.
Costa Rica better placed than the
United States
The poor ranking of the
United States (17th) is mainly because of the number of journalists
arrested or imprisoned there. Arrests are often because they refuse
to reveal their sources in court. Also, since the 11 September
attacks, several journalists have been arrested for crossing security
lines at some official buildings.
The highest-ranked country
of the South is Costa Rica, in 15th position. This Central American
nation is traditionally the continent's best performer in terms
of press freedom. In February 2002, it ceased to be one of the
17 Latin American states that still give prison sentences to those
found guilty of "insulting" public officials. The murder in July
2001 year of journalist Parmenio Medina was an exception in the
history of the Costa Rican media.
Cuba, the last dictatorship
in Latin America, came 134th and is the only country in the region
where there is no diversity of news and journalists are routinely
imprisoned. In Haiti (106th), journalists are targeted by informal
militias whose actions are covered by the government.
Italy gets bad marks in Europe
The 15 member-countries
of the European Union (EU) all score well except for Italy (40th),
where news diversity is under serious threat. Prime minister Silvio
Berlusconi is turning up the pressure on the state-owned television
stations, has named his henchmen to help run them and continues
to combine his job as head of government with being boss of a
privately-owned media group. The imprisonment of journalist Stefano
Surace, convicted of press offences from 30 years ago, as well
as the monitoring of journalists, searches, unjustified legal
summonses and confiscation of equipment, are all responsible for
the country's low ranking.
France, in 11th place
overall, comes only 8th among EU countries because of several
disturbing measures endangering the protection of journalists'
sources and because of police interrogation of a number of journalists
in recent months.
Among those states hoping
to join the EU, Turkey (99th) is very poorly placed. Despite the
reform efforts of its government, aimed at easing entry into the
EU, many journalists are still being given prison sentences and
the media is regularly censored. Press freedom is especially under
siege in the southeastern part of the country.
Elsewhere in Europe,
such as Belarus (124th), Russia (121st) and the former Soviet
republics, it is still difficult to work as a journalist and several
have been murdered or imprisoned. Grigory Pasko, jailed since
December 2001 in the Vladivostok region of Russia, was given a
four-year sentence for publishing pictures of the Russian Navy
pouring liquid radioactive waste into the Sea of Japan.
The Middle East and Israel's
ambivalent position
No Arab country is among
the top 50. Lebanon only makes 56th place and the press freedom
situation in the region is not encouraging. In Iraq (130th) and
Syria (126th), the state uses every means to control the media
and stifle any dissenting voice. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
especially has set his country's media the sole task of relaying
his regime's propaganda. In Libya (129th) and Tunisia (128th),
no criticism of Col Muammar Kadhafi or President Zine el-Abidine
Ben Ali is tolerated.
The political weakening
of the Palestinian Authority (82nd) means it has made few assaults
on press freedom. However, Islamic fundamentalist opposition media
have been closed, several attempts made to intimidate and attack
local and foreign journalists and many subjects remain taboo.
The aim is to convey a united image of the Palestinian people
and to conceal aspects such a demonstrations of support for attacks
on Israel.
The attitude of Israel
(92nd) towards press freedom is ambivalent. Despite strong pressure
on state-owned TV and radio, the government respects the local
media's freedom of expression. However, in the West Bank and Gaza,
Reporters Without Borders has recorded a large number of violations
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which
guarantees press freedom and which Israel has signed. Since the
start of the Israeli army's incursions into Palestinian towns
and cities in March 2002, very many journalists have been roughed
up, threatened, arrested, banned from moving around, targeted
by gunfire, wounded or injured, had their press cards withdrawn
or been deported.
Good and bad examples in Africa
Eritrea (132nd) and Zimbabwe
(122nd) are the most repressive countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
The entire privately-owned press in Eritrea was banned by the
government in September 2001 and 18 journalists are currently
imprisoned there. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is notable
for his especially harsh attitude to the foreign and opposition
media.
At the other end of the
spectrum, Benin is in 21st place despite being classified by the
UN Development Programme as one of the world 15 poorest countries.
Other African states, such as South Africa (26th), Mali (43rd),
Namibia (31st) and Senegal (47th), have genuine press freedom
too.
Come è
stato fatto l'indice?
This index measures the amount of freedom journalists and the media
have in each country and the efforts made by governments to see
that press freedom is respected.
Reporters Without Borders sent out a questionnaire based on the
main criteria for such freedom and asking for details of directs
attacks on journalists (such as murders, imprisonment, physical
assaults and threats) and on the media (censorship, confiscation,
searches and pressure). It also asked about the degree of impunity
enjoyed by those responsible for such violations.
The questionnaire recorded the legal environment for the media
(such as punishment for press offences, a state monopoly in some
areas and the existence of a regulatory body) and the behaviour
of the state towards the public media and the foreign press. It
also noted the main threats to the free flow of information on
the Internet.
Reporters Without Borders has not just taken into account the
excesses of the state but also those of armed militias, underground
organisations and pressure groups that can be serious threats
to press freedom. In addition, the state does not always use all
its resources to fight the impunity the perpetrators of such violence
very often have.
The questionnaire was sent to people with a real knowledge of
the press freedom situation in one or more countries, such as
local journalists or foreign correspondents living in the country,
researchers, legal experts, specialists on a region and the researchers
of the Reporters Without Borders International Secretariat.
The countries included in the index are those about which Reporters
Without Borders received completed questionnaires from several
independent sources. Other countries have not been included for
lack of reliable information. Countries that got equal scores
have been ranked in alphabetical order.
This index of press freedom is a portrait of the situation based
on events between September 2001 and October 2002 . It does not
take account of all human rights violations, only those that affect
press freedom.
Neither is it an indicator of the quality of a country's media.
Reporters Without Borders defends press freedom without regard to
the content of the media, so any ethical or professional departures
from the norm have not been taken into account.
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Reporters Without Borders
defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the
world, as well as the right to inform the public and to be informed,
in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. Reporters Without Borders has nine national sections (in
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
and the United Kingdom), representatives in Abidjan, Bangkok, Buenos
Aires, Istanbul, Montreal, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Tokyo and
Washington and more than a hundred correspondents worldwide.
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The
index
| Rank
|
Country
|
Note
|
| 1
|
Finland
|
0,50
|
| -
|
Iceland
|
0,50
|
| -
|
Norway
|
0,50
|
| -
|
Netherlands
|
0,50
|
| 5
|
Canada
|
0,75
|
| 6
|
Ireland
|
1,00
|
| 7
|
Germany
|
1,50
|
| -
|
Portugal
|
1,50
|
| -
|
Sweden
|
1,50
|
| 10
|
Denmark
|
3,00
|
| 11
|
France
|
3,25
|
| 12
|
Australia
|
3,50
|
| -
|
Belgium
|
3,50
|
| 14
|
Slovenia
|
4,00
|
| 15
|
Costa
Rica |
4,25
|
| -
|
Switzerland
|
4,25
|
| 17
|
United
States |
4,75
|
| 18
|
Hong
Kong |
4,83
|
| 19
|
Greece
|
5,00
|
| 20
|
Ecuador
|
5,50
|
| 21
|
Benin
|
6,00
|
| -
|
United
Kingdom |
6,00
|
| -
|
Uruguay
|
6,00
|
| 24
|
Chile
|
6,50
|
| -
|
Hungary
|
6,50
|
| 26
|
South
Africa |
7,50
|
| -
|
Austria
|
7,50
|
| -
|
Japan
|
7,50
|
| 29
|
Spain
|
7,75
|
| -
|
Poland
|
7,75
|
| 31
|
Namibia
|
8,00
|
| 32
|
Paraguay
|
8,50
|
| 33
|
Croatia
|
8,75
|
| -
|
El
Salvador |
8,75
|
| 35
|
Taiwan
|
9,00
|
| 36
|
Mauritius
|
9,50
|
| -
|
Peru
|
9,50
|
| 38
|
Bulgaria
|
9,75
|
| 39
|
South
Korea |
10,50
|
| 40
|
Italy
|
11,00
|
| 41
|
Czech
Republic |
11,25
|
| 42
|
Argentina
|
12,00
|
| 43
|
Bosnia
and Herzegovina |
12,50
|
| -
|
Mali
|
12,50
|
| 45
|
Romania
|
13,25
|
| 46
|
Cape
Verde |
13,75
|
| 47
|
Senegal
|
14,00
|
| 48
|
Bolivia
|
14,50
|
| 49
|
Nigeria
|
15,50
|
| -
|
Panama
|
15,50
|
| 51
|
Sri
Lanka |
15,75
|
| 52
|
Uganda
|
17,00
|
| 53
|
Niger
|
18,50
|
| 54
|
Brazil
|
18,75
|
| 55
|
Ivory
Coast |
19,00
|
| 56
|
Lebanon
|
19,67
|
| 57
|
Indonesia
|
20,00
|
| 58
|
Comoros
|
20,50
|
| -
|
Gabon
|
20,50
|
| 60
|
Yugoslavia
|
20,75
|
| -
|
Seychelles
|
20,75
|
| 62
|
Tanzania
|
21,25
|
| 63
|
Central
African Republic |
21,50
|
| 64
|
Gambia
|
22,50
|
| 65
|
Madagascar
|
22,75
|
| -
|
Thailand
|
22,75
|
| 67
|
Bahrain
|
23,00
|
| -
|
Ghana
|
23,00
|
| 69
|
Congo
|
23,17
|
| 70
|
Mozambique
|
23,50
|
| 71
|
Cambodia
|
24,25
|
| 72
|
Burundi
|
24,50
|
| -
|
Mongolia
|
24,50
|
| -
|
Sierra
Leone |
24,50
|
| 75
|
Kenya
|
24,75
|
| -
|
Mexico
|
24,75
|
| 77
|
Venezuela
|
25,00
|
| 78
|
Kuwait
|
25,50
|
| 79
|
Guinea
|
26,00
|
| 80
|
India
|
26,50
|
| 81
|
Zambia
|
26,75
|
| 82
|
Palestinian
National Authority |
27,00
|
| 83
|
Guatemala
|
27,25
|
| 84
|
Malawi
|
27,67
|
| 85
|
Burkina
Faso |
27,75
|
| 86
|
Tajikistan
|
28,25
|
| 87
|
Chad
|
28,75
|
| 88
|
Cameroon
|
28,83
|
| 89
|
Morocco
|
29,00
|
| -
|
Philippines
|
29,00
|
| -
|
Swaziland
|
29,00
|
| 92
|
Israel
|
30,00
|
| 93
|
Angola
|
30,17
|
| 94
|
Guinea-Bissau
|
30,25
|
| 95
|
Algeria
|
31,00
|
| 96
|
Djibouti
|
31,25
|
| 97
|
Togo
|
31,50
|
| 98
|
Kyrgyzstan
|
31,75
|
| 99
|
Jordan
|
33,50
|
| -
|
Turkey
|
33,50
|
| 101
|
Azerbaijan
|
34,50
|
| -
|
Egypt
|
34,50
|
| 103
|
Yemen
|
34,75
|
| 104
|
Afghanistan
|
35,50
|
| 105
|
Sudan
|
36,00
|
| 106
|
Haiti
|
36,50
|
| 107
|
Ethiopia
|
37,50
|
| -
|
Rwanda
|
37,50
|
| 109
|
Liberia
|
37,75
|
| 110
|
Malaysia
|
37,83
|
| 111
|
Brunei
|
38,00
|
| 112
|
Ukraine
|
40,00
|
| 113
|
Democratic
Republic of the Congo |
40,75
|
| 114
|
Colombia
|
40,83
|
| 115
|
Mauritania
|
41,33
|
| 116
|
Kazakhstan
|
42,00
|
| 117
|
Equatorial
Guinea |
42,75
|
| 118
|
Bangladesh
|
43,75
|
| 119
|
Pakistan
|
44,67
|
| 120
|
Uzbekistan
|
45,00
|
| 121
|
Russia
|
48,00
|
| 122
|
Iran
|
48,25
|
| -
|
Zimbabwe
|
48,25
|
| 124
|
Belarus
|
52,17
|
| 125
|
Saudi
Arabia |
62,50
|
| 126
|
Syria
|
62,83
|
| 127
|
Nepal
|
63,00
|
| 128
|
Tunisia
|
67,75
|
| 129
|
Libya
|
72,50
|
| 130
|
Iraq
|
79,00
|
| 131
|
Vietnam
|
81,25
|
| 132
|
Eritrea
|
83,67
|
| 133
|
Laos
|
89,00
|
| 134
|
Cuba
|
90,25
|
| 135
|
Bhutan
|
90,75
|
| 136
|
Turkmenistan
|
91,50
|
| 137
|
Burma
|
96,83
|
| 138
|
China
|
97,00
|
| 139
|
North
Korea |
97,50
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