Existing comment:
Best for Press Freedom: Norway
Why the Norwegian press is the most free in the world:
Norway is one of the most democratic and least corrupt nations in the world, says Freedom House. The country's constitutional guarantees of press freedom are consistently upheld. The media express a variety of opinions, and internet access is widely available and unrestricted.
In 2015 Norway began funding United Nations training programs to combat attacks on journalists around the world. Norwegian journalist Oystein Windstad was attacked by masked men while reporting on human rights abuses near Chechnya in 2016.
Teams travel around Norway in radiobilene ("radio cars") to educate people about the country's transition to digital radio. More than half of Norwegian radio listeners use digital radio.
To defend free speech after the deadly 2015 attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Norway's parliament repealed a longstanding blasphemy law, making it legal to mock the beliefs of others. Charlie Hebdo published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Digital Radio Switch:
Norway has announced plans to abandon FM radio broadcasts in 2017, making it the first country in the world to fully transition to digital radio. The move is expected to improve reception and expand and diversify programming.
World Leader in Free Expression:
In 2016, Norway launched a global drive to promote freedom of expression and protect journalists' safety around the world. To support freedom of expression at home, in 2015 Norway legalized blasphemy -- speech insulting God or sacred things -- and eliminated taxes on online news outlets.
National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden -- who in 2013 revealed that the US government was collecting phone records of millions of Americans -- accepted Norway's Bjornson Prize for freedom of expression via a live video link in 2015. |