JURIST - Paper Chase: Press freedom index moves US up, war-torn countries down

[JURIST] Violent conflicts in countries like Georgia have diminished press freedom, though the United States has gained ground as a country protecting such liberty, according to the seventh annual Worldwide Index of Freedom [press release] issued Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) [advocacy website; JURIST news archive]. RWB once again listed Eritrea, North Korea, and Turkmenistan at the bottom of the survey, while Iceland, Luxembourg and Norway tied for first. Eighteen of the top 20 spots were held by European countries. The US moved up the list to rank 36 out of 173 countries, after being ranked 48th last year [JURIST report]. Concluding that "it is not economic prosperity but peace that guarantees press freedom," RWB pointed to the US, Israel, Georgia, and Niger as examples:

Although they have democratic political systems, these countries are embroiled in low or high intensity conflicts and their journalists, exposed to the dangers of combat or repression, are easy prey. The recent provisional release of Moussa Kaka, the Niger correspondent of RFI and Reporters Without Borders, after 384 days in prison in Niamey and cameraman Sami al-Haj’s release after six years in the hell of Guantanamo serve as reminders that wars sweep away not only lives but also, and above all, freedom.

RWB also said that the low rankings of authoritarian regimes such as Cuba and China show that the international community’s conduct towards them "is not effective enough to yield results." AP has more.

Reporters Without Borders compiles the Index of Freedom by asking 18 of its partners worldwide, its network of 130 correspondents and researchers, jurists and human rights activists to answer 49 questions [questionnaire] about press freedom in their respective countries. Reliable results were received for 173 nations and were then compiled [RWB backgrounder] based on "the degree of freedom that journalists and news organizations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom."