Existing comment:
The World Has Changed
Press Freedom Changes:
The Newseum's world press freedom map has been updated to reflect the latest finding from Freedom House. The percentage of the world's population that has access to a free press remained at its lowest point in more than a decade in 2013, as many governments intensified their efforts to limit the independence of both traditional and online media.
Here are the changes and reasons the rating improved or declined, according to Freedom House.
The Good News:
Israel -- Partly Free --> Free:
* Harassment and physical attacks on journalists declined.
* Use of laws to restrict the press declined.
Algeria -- Not Free --> Partly Free:
* Three private television stations emerged, ending the government's monopoly on domestic broadcast media.
* Journalists faced fewer physical attacks.
* Use of laws to restrict the press declined.
Cote D'Ivoire -- Not Free --> Party Free:
* The government decreated its use of restrictive press laws.
* Official censorship declined.
* More private news outlets were established.
* Journalists faced fewer incidents of harassment and attack.
Paraguay -- Not Free --> Party Free:
* Political influence over state-owned media decreased.
* Use of laws to restrict the press declined.
The Bad News:
Libya -- Partly Free --> Not Free:
* As Libya's security situation deteriorated, journalists faced an increase in threats, kidnappings and attacks.
* Laws were used to charge journalists with defamation.
South Sudan -- Partly Free --> Not Free:
* Journalists were increasingly attacked while covering news.
* Political and ethnic unrest led to an increase in threats, attacks and arbitrary detentions of journalists by security officials.
Turkey -- Partly Free --> Not Free:
* The country remained the world's leading jailer of journalists.
* Dozens of journalists were forced from their jobs by media owners because of stories they wrote.
Ukraine -- Partly Free --> Not Free:
* Harassment and violence against journalists increased.
* Pro-government groups increased their concentration of print media ownership.
Zambia -- Partly Free --> Not Free:
* Independent news outlets and journalists faced increased harassment from the government.
* Anti-government websites were blocked.
Nauru -- Free --> Party Free:
* The government restricted press coverage of elections.
* Foreign journalists must pay a prohibitive fee to cover events in Nauru. |