A media watchdog’s annual survey suggests that a zealous bid to protect national security has taken a toll on press freedom, above all in the United States.
The survey, released Wednesday by Reporters Without Borders, ranks the U.S. 46th among 180 countries, a fall of 13 places.
It also highlights the negative impact of armed conflict on media freedom. Syria, in a brutal civil war, ranked 177, just above Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea. The Central African Republic, where a sectarian conflict has erupted, plunged 43 places.
Finland, the Netherlands and Norway continue to top the ranking.
Seven indicators are used to measure how the press is able to perform in each country, including the level of violence, pluralism of opinions, the legislative framework and infrastructure.
(AP)
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3 Responses
Would security have been enhanced if the American press reported that the German codes had been broken in 1940 – some have suggested that if the Germans caught in the war would have ended differently. Free press and national security don’t go together.
Given that the security forces are trying to thwart bad things, the press should not interfere. Of course, if the press were doing their job, shouldn’t their investigative reporters have been publishing articles on the World Trade Center bombings in August 2001? Have the intrepid members of the press ever reported on planned terrorist attacks before they occur?
“. . .a zealous bid to protect national security has taken a toll on press freedom, above all in the United States?” Will somebody please elaborate on this statement? The current President has done more than anybody I can remember to weaken America’s national security, and I believe he’s done it purposely and maliciously. If there’s any security being protected by throwing up impediments in front of the press, it seems to me that it would be the President’s security in scraping together some positive legacy in the next three years in office. National security is not one of his priorities, and in fact is seen by this President as an impediment to everything he’s trying to do.
The press is only interested in how many listeners/viewers/readers it can reach (i.e., the bottom line).
I don’t shed a single tear for their wailing and moaning. With their leaks, they have been responsible for the deaths of numerous soldiers and civilians in many countries, not just the US.