Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Koichiro Matsuura (right) with James Ottaway Jr, chairperson, World Press Freedom Committee.NEW YORK:
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 earlier this week.
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, revealed 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.
Overall, the study revealed that 11 countries Armenia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Nepal, Panama, Peru, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela declined in category, while only two countries Fiji and Sri Lanka increased.
Of 193 countries surveyed (including the Israeli-Administered Territories/Palestinian Authority), 78 (41 per cent, representing 20 per cent of the world's population) were rated Free, with no significant restrictions on the news media; 47 (24 per cent, or 38 per cent of the global population) were rated Partly Free and are characterised by some media restrictions; and 68 (35 per cent, or 42 per cent of the world's population) were rated Not Free, with state control or other obstacles to a free press.
REGIONAL TRENDS
AMERICAS:
Of the 35 countries of the Americas, 18 (52 per cent) are Free, 13 (37 per cent) are Partly Free, and 4 (11 per cent) 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 levelled 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 per cent) are rated Free, 7(18 per cent) are Partly Free, and 14 (36 per cent) 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.
CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION:
Of the 27 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, 9 (33 per cent) are rated Free, 8 (30 per cent) are Partly Free, and 10 (37 per cent) 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 obstruction tax audits. Russian and Ukrainian reporters who investigated official corruption were routinely intimidated and sometimes violently attacked. Three journalists in Russia were murdered.
