World
Press Freedom Day : May 3, 2003
NEW YORK, April 30, 2003 -- Press freedom
suffered notable worldwide deterioration
in 2002, due in part to political and armed
conflicts and increased government-backed
restrictions on independent media outlets,
Freedom House announced in a major study
released today.
Among
the most serious developments were major
setbacks for press freedom in Russia, Ukraine,
and Venezuela.
The
study, Freedom of the Press 2003: A Global
Survey of Media Independence, reveals that
some press restrictions took place in fledgling
democracies, demonstrating that the media
are one of the most vulnerable sectors in
societies still struggling to reform. The
entire report, which contains country-by-country
analysis, can be found on Freedom House's
web site at http://www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2003/pfs2003.pdf
The
survey assesses the degree of press freedom
in every country in the world and rates
each country as Free, Partly Free, or Not
Free.
Overall,
the study reveals that 11 countries--Armenia,
Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Jordan,
Nepal, Panama, Peru, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine,
and Venezuela--declined in category, while
only 2 countries--Fiji and Sri Lanka--increased.
Of
193 countries surveyed (including the Israeli-Administered
Territories/Palestinian Authority), 78 (41%,
representing 20% of the world's population)
were rated Free, with no significant restrictions
on the news media; 47 (24%, or 38% of the
global population) were rated Partly Free
and are characterized by some media restrictions;
and 68 (35%, or 42% of the world's population)
were rated Not Free, with state control
or other obstacles to a free press.
The
proportion of the world's population considered
Not Free increased by four percent from
2001.
"Freedom
House is deeply concerned by this significant
decline in press freedom," said Freedom
House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor.
"Of particular concern is that some
countries that are nominally democratic
do not feature vibrant independent media
due to heavy government interference. This
only reinforces the key role independent
media play in keeping governments accountable,"
she said.
Political
instability and civil conflict took a serious
toll on press freedom in 2002. Media in
countries such as Colombia, Nepal, and Venezuela--which
all declined to Not Free--faced broader
restrictions on permissible coverage and
intimidation by government officials. Violent
attacks against the press by some or all
parties to a conflict led to significant
declines in the level of press freedom as
fear led to self-censorship. Those who infringe
on the media's rights are often not punished
for their actions, perpetuating a climate
of impunity. Ongoing armed conflicts in
Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and in the Israeli-
Administered Territories/Palestinian Authority
led to further declines in their numerical
scores.
Democracy's
Fragility
There
were also worrying signs in 2002 in some
of the world's more fragile democracies
and transitional societies, where media
do not enjoy protections from government
interference normally featured in established
democracies. Restrictive legislation and
politicized judiciaries still prevail in
some of these countries, such as in Russia,
where the government of Vladimir Putin clamped
down on independent media.
In
Venezuela, a protracted political crisis
led to serious harassment of the media by
supporters of President Hugo Chavez, resulting
in the country's shift into the Not Free
category.
"One
of the most worrying aspects of this deterioration
in press freedom is that state-directed
intimidation of and attempts to influence
the media are being perpetrated by democratically
elected governments that seem to be increasingly
unwilling to tolerate critical coverage,"
said Karin Karlekar, the survey's managing
editor.
Bright
Spots
Two
countries--Sri Lanka and Fiji--registered
positive category shifts during the year.
Sri Lanka improved from Not Free to Partly
Free as the ceasefire agreement between
the government and the Tamil Eelam rebel
group increased the range of permissible
coverage and press access to areas formerly
under rebel control. In Fiji, greater political
stability helped to reduce overt harassment
of the media and to move the country from
Party Free to Free.
While
insufficient for category shifts, progress
was nonetheless registered in Angola and
Chad, where civil wars have ended, and in
Somalia and Afghanistan, which have seen
the growth of independent media outlets.
The passage of reformist media legislation
in Bosnia, the former Yugoslavia, Azerbaijan,
and Bahrain contributed to noticeable improvements
in press freedom in those countries.
Regional
Trends
Americas:
Of the 35 countries of the Americas, 18
(52%) are Free, 13 (37%) are Partly Free,
and 4 (11%) are Not Free. Many of the world's
declines were registered in the Americas,
with Colombia and Venezuela joining Cuba
and Haiti in the Not Free category. Peru
regressed to Partly Free after the government
leveled charges against the media for libel
and for reporting on corruption. Panama
also moved to Partly Free due to a widespread
legal campaign against journalists by public
officials, as did the Dominican Republic,
due to selective placement of official advertisements
in newspapers and increased concentration
of media ownership.
Asia
Pacific: Of 39 Asian Pacific countries,
18 (46%) are rated Free, 7 (18%) are Partly
Free, and 14 (36%) are Not Free. While Sri
Lanka improved to Partly Free and Fiji to
Free, Nepal fell to Not Free in the midst
of a violent Maoist insurgency. In Thailand,
which declined from Free to Partly Free
after two international publications were
banned, local media faced official pressure
to soften critical reporting, and several
editors were forced to resign. The restrictions
in Thailand came as Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra increased executive powers and
moved to prevent media coverage of official
corruption.
Central
& Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet
Union: Of the 27 countries of Central and
Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union,
9 (33%) are rated Free, 8 (30%) are Partly
Free, and 10 (37%) are Not Free. Russia's
and Armenia's ratings declined from Partly
Free to Not Free after each country's government
shut down leading independent television
broadcasters. Ukraine also moved to Not
Free after several journalists were targeted
by politically motivated libel lawsuits
and obstructive tax audits. Russian and
Ukrainian reporters who investigated official
corruption were routinely intimidated and
sometimes violently attacked. Three journalists
in Russia were murdered.
Middle
East & North Africa: Of the 19 Middle
Eastern and North African countries, only
one (5%), Israel, is rated Free. Two countries
(11%), Kuwait and Morocco, are Partly Free,
while sixteen (84%) are Not Free. The Middle
East is the only region with an average
rating of Not Free. Jordan moved to Not
Free after journalists there were prosecuted
for criticizing the government. A notable
decline took place in Tunisia, where authorities
sentenced an Internet writer to two years
in prison for spreading "false information."
Several journalists were shot while covering
the violence in the West Bank. Sub-Saharan
Africa: Of 48 Sub-Saharan African countries,
8 (17%) are rated Free, 16 (33%) Partly
Free and 24 (50%) Not Free. In Zimbabwe,
the government of Robert Mugabe passed draconian
legislation that further restricted the
ability of both foreign and local reporters
to work freely. Eritrea--where all private
newspapers have been banned and several
journalists remain jailed--continued a year-
old crackdown against independent media,
ostensibly on national security grounds.
Western
Europe: Of 25 Western European countries,
24 (96%) are rated Free. One country (4%),
Turkey, is rated Partly Free. None is rated
Not Free.
Freedom
House, a non-profit, non-partisan organization,
monitors political rights and civil liberties
worldwide. In addition to its annual Freedom
of the Press survey, it also publishes Freedom
in the World, an annual global survey measuring
freedom in every country, and Nations in
Transit, a comprehensive comparative survey
of the post-Communist states of Eastern
and Central Europe and the former Soviet
Union.
MORE
INFORMATION:
Michael
Goldfarb, Freedom House
120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, U.S.A.
www.freedomhouse.org
