freedom house: informe libertad de prensa 2015

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FREEDOMOF THE PRESS2015

April 2015

Harsh Laws and Violence Drive Global Decline


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The exensive work underaken o produce Freedom of the Press was made possible by hegenerous suppor o he Jyllands-Posen Foundaion and he Hurord Foundaion. FreedomHouse also graeully acknowledges he conribuions o he Lilly Endowmen, he SchlossFamily Foundaion, he Siching Democraie & Media, Free Press Unlimied, he Frit OrdFoundaion, he Reed Foundaion, Leonard Sussman and he Sussman Freedom Fund,Ambassador Vicor Ashe, and oher privae conribuors.

Exensive research, ediorial, analyical, and adminisraive

assisance was provided by Bre Nelson, Elen Aghekyan,

and Tyler Roylance, as well as by Karin Deusch Karlekar,

Sarah Cook, Michael Johnson, Mathew Coogan, and Megan

Schulz. We would also like o hank our consulan wriers

and advisers and oher members of he projec eam for heir

conribuions.

CONTENTS

Press Freedom in :Harsh Laws and Violence Drive Global Decline

Oher Noable Developmens in

The Global Picure in

Wors o he Wors

Regional Trends

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

Europe

Middle Eas and Norh Arica

Sub-Saharan Arica

Conclusion

Rankings

Methodology

ON THE COVER

Cover image by KAL.

RESEARCH AND EDITORIAL TEAM

Jennier Dunham served as he projec manager o Freedomof the Press . Overall guidance or he projec was pro-vided by Arch Puddingon, vice presiden or research, andVanessa Tucker, vice presiden or analysis.


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Harsh Laws and Violence Drive Global Decline

Press Freedom in 2014

Condiions or he media deerioraed sharply in ,as journaliss around he world aced mouning re-sricions on he ree flow o news and inormaion—including grave hreas o heir own lives.

Governmens employed acics including arress andcensorship o silence criicism. Terroriss and ohernonsae orces kidnapped and murdered journalissatemping o cover armed conflics and organizedcrime. The wealhy owners who dominae privaemedia in a growing number o counries shaped newscoverage o suppor he governmen, a poliical pary,or heir own ineress. And democraic saes srug-gled o cope wih an onslaugh o propaganda romauhoriarian regimes and milian groups.

Freedom of the Press , he laes ediion o an an-nual repor published by Freedom House since ,ound ha global press reedom declined in o islowes poin in more han years. The rae o declinealso acceleraed drasically, wih he global averagescore suffering is larges one-year drop in a decade.The share o he world’s populaion ha enjoys a Freepress sood a percen, meaning only one in sevenpeople live in counries where coverage o poliicalnews is robus, he saey o journaliss is guaraneed,sae inrusion in media affairs is minimal, and he pressis no subjec o onerous legal or economic pressures.

The seepes declines worldwide relae o wo acors:he passage and use o resricive laws agains hepress—ofen on naional securiy grounds—and heabiliy o local and oreign journaliss o physicallyaccess and repor reely rom a given counry, includ-ing proes sies and conflic areas. Paradoxically, ina ime o seemingly unlimied access o inormaion

and new mehods o conen delivery, more and moreareas o he world are becoming virually inaccessibleo journaliss.

While here were posiive developmens in somecounries, he dominan global rend was negaive.The number o counries wih significan improve-mens () was he lowes since , while he num-ber wih significan declines () was he highes in years.* The counries and erriories ha declinedrepresened a poliically diverse cross-secion—in-cluding Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Serbia, andSouh Arica—indicaing ha he global deerioraionin press reedom is no limied o auocracies or warzones. Also eaured among he major backsliderswere Algeria, Azerbaĳan, Egyp, Honduras, Libya,

Souh Sudan, and Thailand.

The naure o major changes over he pas five yearsis also sriking. Since , he mos significan scoreimprovemens have occurred in counries where hemedia environmen had been among he wors inhe world. Tunisia, wih a gain o poins, no onlyregisered he bigges improvemen over his period,bu was also he only counry wih large gains ha

by Jennier Dunham, Bre Nelson, and Elen Aghekyan

In a ime o seemingly unlimied accesso inormaion and new mehods o conen delivery, more and more areaso he world are becoming viruallyinaccessible o journaliss.

* Significant gains or declines are defined as shifs o or more points in a country’s score, on a – scale.

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mainained a posiive rajecory in . While Myan-mar and Libya have each earned ne improvemens o poins, boh suffered score declines in he pas yeaand remain in he No Free caegory. In a disurbingrend, several counries wih hisories o more demo-craic pracices have experienced serious deerioraio

Greece has allen by poins since , as exisingsrucural problems were exacerbaed by he economicrisis and relaed poliical pressures. Large five-yeardrops were also recorded in Thailand ( poins),Ecuador (), Turkey (), Hong Kong (), Honduras ()Hungary (), and Serbia ().

In , influenial auhoriarian powers such asChina and Russia mainained a igh grip on locallybased prin and broadcas media, while also seek-ing o conrol he more independen views providedeiher online or by oreign news sources. Beĳing and

Moscow in paricular were more over in heir efforso manipulae he inormaion environmen in regionha hey considered o be wihin heir sphere oinfluence: Hong Kong and Taiwan or he ormer, andUkraine, Cenral Asia, and he Balics or he later.

The year’s noable improvemens included hreesaus changes, wih Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, andUkraine moving rom No Free o Parly Free. Tunisiamainained is repuaion as he success sory ohe Arab Spring, improving anoher poins in .However, oher counries recording gains eiher mad

modes, enaive improvemens in he wake o civilsrie—as in Cenral Arican Republic and Somalia—oeaured auhoriarian governmens ha have grownmore secure and less violenly oppressive in recen years, as in Zimbabwe.

Increased use o restrictive laws

Several counries in passed securiy or secrecylaws ha esablished new limis on speech andreporing. Afer a coup in May, Thailand’s miliary gov-ernmen suspended he consiuion, imposed marialaw, shu down media oules, blocked websies, andseverely resriced conen. Aggressive enorcemen

o he counry’s lèse-majesé laws also coninued in, and afer he coup alleged violaors were riedin miliary cours.

In Turkey, he governmen repeaedly sough oexpand he elecommunicaions auhoriy’s power oblock websies wihou a cour order, hough some ohe more aggressive legal changes were sruck downby he Consiuional Cour. Oher legislaion gave hNaional Inelligence Organizaion (MİT) vas pow-

The Freedom of the Press repor assesses hedegree o media reedom in counries and

erriories, analyzing he evens and develop-mens o each calendar year. Each counry anderriory receives a numerical score rom (hemos ree) o (he leas ree), which servesas he basis or a saus designaion o Free,Parly Free, or No Free.

Scores are assigned in response o mehod-ology quesions ha seek o capure he variedways in which pressure can be placed on heflow o objecive inormaion and he abiliyo media plaorms—wheher prin oules,

broadcas saions, news websies, blogs onpublic affairs, or social media ha carry newsconen—o operae reely and wihou ear orepercussions.

Issues covered by he mehodology include helegal and regulaory environmen in which me-dia operae; he degree o parisan conrol overnews conen; poliical influences on reporingand access o inormaion; he public’s abiliy oaccess diverse sources o inormaion; viola-ions o press reedom ranging rom he murdero journaliss and bloggers o oher exralegalabuse and harassmen; and economic pres-sures on media oules and heir means odisribuion.

The scores reflec no jus governmen ac-ions and policies, bu also he behavior o hepress isel in esing boundaries, as well as heinfluence o privae owners, poliical or criminalgroups, and oher nonsae acors.

For a more deailed explanaion o he mehod-ology and scoring process, see pp. –.

Freedom of the Press

Methodology

PRESS FREEDOM IN 2014: Harsh Laws and Violence Drive Global Decline

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ers o surveillance and unetered access o virually

any inormaion held by any eniy in he counry. The

amendmens also criminalized reporing on or acquir-

ing inormaion abou MİT.

A Russian law ha ook effec in Augus placed new

conrols on blogs and social media, requiring all sieswih more han , visiors a day o regiser wih he

sae elecommunicaions agency as media oules.

This saus made hem responsible or he accuracy o

posed inormaion, among oher obligaions.

Deenions and closures under exising securiy or

emergency laws also increased in . Azerbaĳan

was one of he wors offenders, wih nine journaliss

in prison as of December . Over he course of ha

monh, he auhoriies deained prominen invesigaive

journalis Khadĳa Ismayilova of U.S.-funded Radio Free

Europe/Radio Libery (RFE/RL), raided and closed RFE/

RL’s offices in he counry, and inerrogaed he service’s

local employees. A number of well-known media advo-

cacy groups were also forced o close during he year.

In Egyp, a cour senenced hree Al-Jazeera journal-

iss o seven or more years in prison on charges o

conspiring wih he oulawed Muslim Broherhood o

publish alse news. The convicions ollowed a arci-

cal rial in which prosecuors presened no credible

evidence. While all hree were reed or released on bail

in early , a leas nine journaliss remain in jail on

errorism charges or or covering he Broherhood.

Ehiopia’s governmen sepped up is campaign

agains ree expression in April by arresing sixpeople associaed wih he Zone blogging collecive

and hree oher journaliss. In July, hey were charged

wih inciing violence and errorism. Myanmar, which

had aken several posiive seps in recen years,

suffered declines in due in par o an increase

in arress and convicions o journaliss. In July, our

reporers and he chie execuive o he Unity Weekly

News were senenced o years in prison and hard

labor, laer reduced o seven years, under he colonial-

era Official Secres Ac or reporing on a possible

chemical weapons aciliy.

Such resricive laws are no only uilized in auhori-

arian environmens. Mexico’s new elecommunica-

ions law drew widespread objecions rom press

reedom advocaes due o provisions allowing he

governmen o monior and shu down real-ime blog-

ging and posing during social proess. Souh Arican

auhoriies expanded heir use o he aparheid-era

Naional Key Poins Ac o preven invesigaive jour-

BIGGEST PRESS FREEDOM DECLINES IN 2014

VenezuelaTurkeySerbiaPeruIraqCambodiaMyanmarBoswanaAzerbaĳanSouh Arica

IcelandHondurasHong KongGreeceEgypSouh SudanThailandLibya

-3

-3

-3

-3

-3

-3

-3

-3

-3

-4

-4-4

-4

-5

-5

-6

-11

-11

- - - - - -

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naliss rom reporing on imporan sies or insiu-ions, paricularly when probing corrupion by poliicalfigures. In Souh Korea, Presiden Park Geun-hye’sadminisraion increasingly relied on he NaionalSecuriy Law o suppress criical repors, especiallyregarding he presiden’s inner circle and he Sewol

erry disaser.

Physical violence and inaccessible areas

The world’s growing number o areas ha are effec-ively off limis or journaliss include pars o Syria andIraq conrolled by Islamic Sae (IS) exremiss, saesin norheasern Nigeria where Boko Haram is acive,much o conflic-racked Libya, and Egyp’s resive SinaiPeninsula. In Mexico, Honduras, and oher CenralAmerican counries, inimidaion and violence agains journaliss coninued o soar during he year, as gangsand local auhoriies sough o deer reporing on orga-nized crime and corrupion in heir erriory.

Seveneen journaliss were killed in Syria alone in, according o he Commitee o Proec Journal-iss (CPJ). The deah oll, coupled wih he high-profilemurders o American reelance journaliss JamesFoley and Seven Soloff by IS milians, served as asark reminder ha local reporers—who make up hevas majoriy o he casualies—and reelancers dono have he exensive securiy saeguards affordedo ull-ime saff a large news organizaions like heNew York Times. To help address he problem, majoroules and advocacy groups esablished global saey

principles and pracices in early .

While some pars o he world are rendered inaccessi-ble mosly by chaoic violence, ohers are deliberaelybarred o mos reporers by repressive governmens.Prime examples include China’s Tibe and Xinjiangregions, Tajikisan’s Gorno-Badakhshan AuonomousRegion, Russian-occupied Crimea, and cerain ehnicminoriy areas in Myanmar. Ciizen journaliss, aciv-iss, and ordinary residens have managed o dis-seminae some inormaion abou condiions in heseregions, bu i is no subsiue or unetered reporing

by proessionals, and i is ofen easier o send news ohe ouside world han o reach audiences wihin heaffeced area.

Sree proess, hough less deadly han armedconflics, requenly proved dangerous or reporerso cover in . During he prodemocracy demon-sraions ha broke ou in Hong Kong in Sepember, journaliss aced a sharp rise in violence, includingmuliple assauls on reporers near proes sies. In

Venezuela, journaliss became arges during clasheslinked o he widespread social proess ha swephe counry in he firs hal o he year. Reporers inBrazil also encounered violence a proess beoreand during he World Cup; in February, a cameramandied afer being hi in he head wih an explosive. In

Ukraine, in addiion o our journalis deahs and oheviolence associaed wih he separais conflic in heeas, one journalis was killed and a leas oherswere injured a he heigh o conronaions beweenproesers and police in he capial in February.

Pressure through ownership

In Russia and Venezuela, he media secor is increas-ingly owned by he sae, privae-secor cronies o hepoliical leadership, or business ineress ha “depolii-cize” heir oules by suppressing conen ha is criicao he governmen. In July, Venezuela’s oldes indepen-

den daily, El Universal, was sold o new owners. Themove came on he heels o ownership changes a wooher major privae media companies in he counry,Cadena Capriles and Globovisión. In all hree cases,respeced reporers have lef or been suspended sincehe ownership changes, primarily due o shifs in heediorial line ha affeced news coverage.

While somewha more media diversiy exiss incounries like Turkey and Ecuador, poliical leadershave seadily amed once-independen oules, usingvarious orms o pressure agains privae owners andcreaing media secors ha are firmly iled in he rul-

ing pary’s avor.

In Greece, he new public broadcaser has aced alle-gaions o poliical inererence in hiring and ediorialconen. Hungary remained a counry o concern in, as he adminisraion o Prime Miniser VikorOrbán coninued o exer pressure on media own-ers o influence coverage. Dozens o media workersproesed he dismissal o he edior in chie o Origoa news websie, afer i published an aricle on allegemisuse o sae unds.

Increased use o propagandaby states and nonstate actors

Among he mos roubling rends idenified in was he more acive and aggressive use o propagan-da—ofen alse or openly hreaening—o warp he media environmen and crowd ou auhenic journalism.

This phenomenon was especially pronounced inRussia, where sae-conrolled naional elevision saions broadcas nonsop campaigns o demonizaion


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direced a he inernal opposiion, neighboring coun-

ries whose policies have displeased Moscow, and hebroader democraic world. Russian media played a

major role in preparing he Russian public or war wih

Ukraine. As Dmiriy Kiselyov, head o he Kremlin’s

inernaional news enerprise, assered in April ,

“Inormaion wars have already become sandard

pracice and he main ype o warare. The bombers

are now sen in afer he inormaion campaign.”

Neighboring counries have grappled wih he problem

o Russian propaganda, in some cases resoring o cen-

sorship. Ukrainian auhoriies, acing a miliary invasion,

suspended he reransmission o a leas Russianelevision channels by cable operaors. Auhoriies

in Lihuania, Lavia, and Moldova—whose breakaway

erriory o Transnisria is suppored by Moscow—im-

posed suspensions or fines on some Russian saions

or reasons including inciemen o war, disseminaing

hisorical inaccuracy, and lack o pluralism o opinions

in news conen. The governmen o Esonia did no

ollow sui, insead approving he creaion o a Russian-

language public channel, se o launch in , as a

means o counering Kremlin disinormaion wih hon-

es reporing. Lavia and Lihuania also signaled plans

o expand Russian-language public programming.

Like he Kremlin, China’s Communis Pary leaders

used sae-conrolled media o propagae official

views and viliy heir perceived enemies. Sae oules

rumpeed he persona and slogans o Presiden Xi

Jinping while airing elevised conessions and “sel-

criicisms” by deained journaliss, wih boh phenom-

ena drawing comparisons o he Mao era. To ensure

ha all media oed he line, he pary’s propaganda

deparmen issued almos daily direcives orderingnews oules and websies o use only inormaionrom he official Xinhua News Agency or coverage obreaking developmens.

Propaganda is no used exclusively by naional gov-ernmens. Milian groups including IS have esab-lished sophisicaed media operaions wih poenialaudiences around he world, aking advanage o pop-ular social-media ools and even saellie elevision.Democraic governmens have been hard pressedo comba messages ha openly advocae violencewihou resricing privacy, reedom o expression, andaccess o inormaion or heir ciizens.

COUNTRIES WITH SIGNIFICANT DECLINES INCREASINGLYOUTNUMBER THOSE WITH SIGNIFICANT GAINS

18

8

44.5

45

45.5

46

46.5

47

47.5

48

48.5

49

45.48

THE GLOBAL AVERAGE PRESS FREEDOM SCORE HAS

DECLINED SHARPLY SINCE

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

48.57

IMPROVED DECLINED

15

1112

1112

1112

11

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Other Notable Developments in 2014In addiion o hose described above, our major phe-

nomena sood ou during he year:

Hostile conditions or women journalists: Women

journaliss operaed in an increasingly hosile environ

men in , and he rapid expansion o Twiter andoher social media as imporan ools or journalismhas creaed new venues or harassmen. This in-

imidaion has prolieraed and hreaens o silence

women’s reporing on crucial opics including corrup-ion, poliics, and crime. Alhough journaliss coverin

such opics have always been vulnerable, women now

encouner paricularly vicious and gender-specific

atacks, ranging rom smears and insuls o graphichreas o sexual violence and he circulaion o per-

sonal inormaion. Turkish journalis Amberin Zaman

described he wave o inimidaion she has aced in

recen years as a “public lynching.”

The impact o the Ebola crisis: The Ebola epidemic i

Wes Arica resuled in several resricions on pressreedom in , alhough he hree wors-affeced

counries each handled he crisis differenly. In Li-

beria, emergency laws, shudowns and suspensions

o media oules, and bans on coverage—osensiblydesigned o avoid he spread o panic and misinor-

maion—prevened he populaion rom accessing

criical inormaion and aimed o hide he shor-comings o he governmen’s response. In Augus,

a reporer or FrontPage Africa was arresed whilecovering a proes agains he sae o emergency.

In Ocober, he governmen limied media access ohealh care aciliies, requiring journaliss o obain

explici permission rom he Minisry o Healh and

Social Welare beore conducing inerviews or using

recording equipmen on clinic or hospial grounds.Sierra Leone imposed less onerous resricions on

he press, bu neverheless used emergency laws

o arres and deain journaliss or criical reporing.In Guinea, a journalis and wo oher media workers

were killed by local residens as hey atemped o

repor on he crisis in a remoe own, bu he governmen did no unduly consrain he aciviies o hepress during he year.

Deterioration in the Balkans: A number o counriesin he Wesern Balkans coninued o exhibi a wor-

rying patern o press reedom violaions in .

These media environmens eaure several common

problems: he use o deamaion and insul laws bypoliicians and businesspeople o suppress criical

Not Free 6532%

Partly Free 7136%

Free 6332%

Totalcountries199

GLOBAL: STATUS BY COUNTRY

GLOBAL: STATUS BY POPULATION

Partly Free3,070,963,460

Not Free3,162,940,027

l

Free

999,180,643

42%

14%

44%


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reporing; progovernmen bias a public broadcasers;ediorial pressure rom poliical leaders and privaeowners ha leads o sel-censorship; harassmen,hreas, and atacks on journaliss ha go unpunished;and opaque ownership srucures. Macedonia’s scorehas declined poins in he pas five years, making i

he wors perormer in he region. Several opposiion-oriened oules have been orced o close during hisperiod, and journalis Tomislav Kezarovski remained indeenion hroughou on quesionable chargesha he revealed he ideniy o a proeced winess ina murder case. In Serbia during he year, he adminis-raion o Prime Miniser Aleksandar Vučić sough ocurb reporing on floods ha hi he counry in Mayand direced increasingly hosile rheoric and harass-men a independen journaliss; such pressure alleg-edly moivaed broadcasers o cancel major poliicalalk shows. Condiions in Monenegro have deeriora-

ed since Milo Đukanović reurned o he premiershipin , wih independen oules such as Vjesti, Dan,and he Monitor suffering lawsuis, unprosecuedphysical atacks, and hosile governmen rheoric.

Persistent concerns in the United States: TheUnied Saes’ score ell by one poin, o , due odeenions, harassmen, and rough reamen o journaliss by police during proess in Ferguson,Missouri. Meanwhile, press reedom advocaesremained concerned abou cerain pracices andpolicies o he ederal governmen, including heObama adminisraion’s relaively rigid conrols on

he inormaion coming ou o he Whie House andgovernmen agencies. Alhough he U.S. Jusice De-parmen said in December ha i would no longerseek o compel New York Times journalis JamesRisen o reveal a source in a long-running case, heObama adminisraion has used he EspionageAc o prosecue alleged leaks o classified inorma-ion eigh imes, more han all previous adminisra-ions combined. Revelaions o surveillance haincluded he bulk collecion o communicaionsdaa by he Naional Securiy Agency (NSA) and heargeed wireapping o media oules coninued

o reverberae in , as ears o monioring andhe aggressive prosecuion o alleged leakers made journaliss’ ineracions wih adminisraion officialsand poenial sources more difficul.

The Global Picture in 2014O he counries and erriories assessed or (wo new erriory repors, Crimea and Somalil-and, were added), a oal o ( percen) wereraed Free, ( percen) were raed Parly Free,

and ( percen) were raed No Free. This bal-ance marks a shif oward he Parly Free caegorycompared wih he ediion covering , whicheaured Free, Parly Free, and No Freecounries and erriories.

The repor ound ha percen o he world’s inhabi-ans lived in counries wih a Free press, while percen had a Parly Free press and percen lived inNo Free environmens. The populaion figures are sig-nificanly affeced by wo counries—China, wih a NoFree saus, and India, wih a Parly Free saus—haogeher accoun or over a hird o he world’s morehan seven billion people. The percenage o hose en- joying a Free media in remained a is lowes levelsince , when Freedom House began incorporaingpopulaion daa ino he findings o he repor.

Afer a muliyear decline in he global average scoreha was inerruped by an improvemen in ,here was a urher decline o . poins or ,bringing he figure o is lowes level since andmarking he greaes year-on-year decline since .All regions excep sub-Saharan Arica, whose aver-age score improved slighly, experienced declines ovarying degrees, wih he Middle Eas and Norh Aricashowing he larges ne decline. In erms o hemaiccaegories, he drop in he global average score wasdriven primarily by decline in he legal score, ollowedby he poliical score; he economic score showed hesmalles amoun o slippage.

Worst o the WorstThe world’s wors-raed counries and erriories,wih scores o beween and poins, were Be-larus, Crimea, Cuba, Equaorial Guinea, Erirea, Iran,Norh Korea, Syria, Turkmenisan, and Uzbekisan.Crimea—analyzed separaely or he firs ime in hecurren ediion—and Syria joined he botom-rankedcohor in . In hese setings, independen mediaare eiher nonexisen or barely able o operae, hepress acs as a mouhpiece or he regime, ciizens’access o unbiased inormaion is severely limied,

and dissen is crushed hrough imprisonmen, or-ure, and oher orms o repression. Crimea becamesubjec o Russian press laws afer is occupaionand annexaion in early , and is media acedresricive regulaions and widespread violence. Iranconinues o earn is place among he Wors o heWors as one o he world’s leading jailers o journal-iss, including Washington Post corresponden JasonRezaian, who has been deained wihou chargesince July .

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- - - - -

HISTORICAL TRENDS IN PRESS FREEDOM

BIGGEST GAINS AND DECLINES, 2010–2014

FREE PARTLY FREE

NOT FREE

Tunisia

Myanmar

Libya

Côe d’Ivoire

Togo

Zimbabwe

Aghanisan

Niger

Georgia

37

FREE PARTLY FREE NOT FREE

HondurasHungary

Serbia

Azerbaĳan

Egyp

Hong Kong

Macedonia

Cenral Arican Republic

Turkey

Ecuador

Mali

Thailand

Bahrain

Greece

21

21

15

11

11

8

8

7

-7

-7

-8

-8

-9

-10

-11

-11

-12

-13

-13

-15

-21

23%20%

57%

34%34%32%39%

26%

35% 32%36%

32%

- - - - -

-7

Percenages o counries in he hree press reedom caegories


8


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l

Not Free 514%

Partly Free 1543%

Free 1543%

l

Totalcountries

35

As journaliss aced violence and inimidaion romboh governmen auhoriies and criminal elemens,several counries in he Americas, including Ecuador,Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela, received heirwors press reedom scores in over a decade. The re-gional average score ell o is lowes level o he pasfive years, wih declines across he legal, poliical, andeconomic caegories.

The overall figures for he Americas are significanly

influenced by he open media environmens of Norh

America and much of he Caribbean, which endo offse he less rosy picure in Cenral and Souh

America. In Lain America, meaning he Spanish- and

Poruguese-speaking pars of he region, only hree (

percen) of he counries were raed Free, and jus per-

cen of he populaion lived in Free media environmens.

Despie he diplomaic opening beween he UniedSaes and Cuba and he resuling release o over poliical prisoners in lae December, journaliss weresill behind bars during , and official censorshipremained pervasive, leaving Cuba as he wors per-

ormer in he region wih a score o .

Mexico, already suffering rom endemic violence hamakes i one o he mos dangerous places in he worldo be a journalis, received is lowes score in over adecade—alling wo poins o —afer he passage oa new law ha allows he governmen o rack mobile-elephone users and monior or shu down elecom-municaions during proess. In addiion, a more oner-ous regisraion process has made i more difficul or

Violence, Intimidation Behind Downward Trajectory

Regional Trends

Americas

AMERICAS: STATUS BY COUNTRY

AMERICAS: STATUS BY POPULATION

l

Partly Free413,182,000

Free367,630,951

l

Not Free185,296,000

l

19%

43%

38%

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communiy radio saions o obain licenses.

In Ecuador, hosile rheoric rom he governmen com-

bined wih pervasive legal harassmen o journaliss

and media oules led o a wo-poin decline, o .

The enorcemen o he Communicaion Law,

whose conroversial provisions included he cre-aion o wo powerul regulaory bodies, added o an

environmen marked by sel-censorship and inimida-

ion. Having been subjec o fines and sancions and

publicly denounced by officials, several major oules

reduced he requency o heir producion and disri-

buion, modified heir ediorial lines, or closed enirely,

decreasing media diversiy.

The relaionship beween he governmen and crii-

cal press oules in Argenina remained ense in

. Alhough journaliss repored an opening in

which some adminisraion officials gave inerviewso criical oules, he hrea o harsh legal penalies

persised. Juan Pablo Suárez, edior o he online

daily Última Hora, was charged wih “inciing collec-ive violence” and “errorizing he populaion” afer

he reused o hand over ooage o a police officer

being arresed.

Brazil’s media ace enduring hreas rom violence and

impuniy as well as judicial censorship. Four journaliss

were killed in , and several more were atacked

while covering proess agains inflaion, governmen

perormance, and World Cup expendiures. Meanwhile,

cours coninued o issue censorship orders, fines, and

jail senences o criical journaliss and bloggers.

Significant gains and declines:

Honduras’s score declined rom o due o

he filing o sediion charges agains a reporercovering a poliical dispue and he passage o a new

secrecy law, which is currenly suspended. Furher-

more, official censorship combined wih media owners

nearly uncondiional suppor or he governmen,

sifling criical journalism and adversely affecing

Honduras’s media diversiy. Journaliss coninued o

ace inimidaion and deadly violence in .

Peru’s score declined rom o due o an

increase in deah hreas and violence agains

journaliss, ongoing impuniy or pas crimes, and a

lack o poliical will o address he problem.

Venezuela’s score declined from o due o

an increase in he number of hreas and

physical atacks agains he local and foreign press,

which hampered heir abiliy o cover he news freely.

The ransparency of media ownership srucures was

lacking, and sae-exacerbaed economic problems,

including high inflaion and difficulies obaining

foreign currency for purchasing newsprin, have had

an adverse effec on he financial viabiliy of prin

media. Some oules laid off workers and sruggled o

secure credi o fill financial gaps.

The Asia-Pacific region eaures considerable subre-gional diversiy. The Pacific Islands, Ausralasia, andpars o Eas Asia have some o he bes-ranked mediaenvironmens in he world, while condiions in Souh

Asia, Souheas Asia, and oher pars o Eas Asia aresignificanly worse. Asia includes he world’s wors-ra-ed counry, Norh Korea ( poins), as well as severaloher highly resricive media environmens, suchas China, Laos, and Vienam. These setings eaureexensive sae and pary conrol o he press.

Thailand ied wih Libya or he greaes ne decline( poins) in as a resul o he May coup d’éa.The miliary juna, known as he Naional Council or

Declines in East and Southeast Asia

Asia-Pacific

Peace and Order (NCPO), suspended he consiuionand imposed marial law, removing legal proecionsor journaliss. Muliple radio and elevision saionswere shu down, he media were prohibied rom cov

ering opposiion members, and journaliss requenlyaced atacks and arbirary deenion.

China, sill home o he world’s mos sophisicaed censorship apparaus, declined rom o poins, marking he counry’s wors score since he s. During, propaganda auhoriies ighened conrol overliberal media oules and alernaive channels o newsdisseminaion. Previously exising space or invesi-gaive journalism and poliically liberal commenary


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ASIAPACIFIC: STATUS BY COUNTRY

ASIAPACIFIC: STATUS BY POPULATIONshrank noiceably, coninuing a rend o ideological dis-cipline ha began when Xi Jinping assumed he leader-ship o he Chinese Communis Pary in . For hefirs ime in several years, proessional journaliss romesablished news oules were subjeced o long-ermdeenion and imprisonmen alongside reelancers,online aciviss, and ehnic minoriy reporers. Newregulaions inensified ideological requiremens or journalis accrediaion and resriced reporers’ abiliyo publish aricles in oreign and Hong Kong–basednews oules, leading o he firing o several journalissduring he year. A crackdown on social-media plaormsha began in wih increased resricions on heprominen Sina Weibo microblogging service expanded

in o Tencen’s WeCha insan-messaging pro-gram, urher limiing he abiliy o ordinary users and journaliss o share uncensored inormaion.

Beĳing’s influence over Hong Kong was also el duringhe year, as oreign and local companies wih main-land Chinese business ineress el compelled o pulladverisemens rom news oules ha were criicalo he cenral governmen. The websie o Apple Daily ,a popular abloid ha was sympaheic o prodemoc-racy proesers, suffered several major cyberatacks in, including one o he larges recorded denial-o-

service atacks o dae. Press reedom in Taiwan wasalso negaively affeced by he atack, as Apple Daily ’s Taiwan ediion remained inaccessible o some overseasreaders or nearly wo monhs.

In Aghanisan, here was an increase in atacksagains media workers as securiy in he counrybegan o deeriorae ollowing he wihdrawal oinernaional comba roops. The media in Pakisanaced greaer ediorial pressure rom he miliary and

l

Not Free 1332.5%

Partly Free 1332.5%

Free 1435%

l

Total

countries40

l

Partly Free1,897,170,460Not

Free1,903,336,027

l

Free187,325,692

l

48%

47%

5%

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parisan groups, exacerbaing an already challengingand dangerous environmen or journaliss and push-ing he counry’s score o is lowes level since .India, he world’s larges democracy, achieved anoherpeaceul ranser o power hrough elecions in , ye is press reedom score declined o is lowes level

in over a decade due o an increase in he use o dea-maion cases agains journaliss and a higher level osel-censorship caused by ediorial inererence rommedia owners in he lead-up o he elecions.


Cambodia’s score declined rom o due ohe high level o sel-censorship by Khmer-

language journaliss, he lack o access o a diversiyo viewpoins in Khmer-language media, and anincrease in violence agains journaliss in .

Hong Kong’s score declined from o due oa surge in he number of violen atacks agains

journaliss and oher media workers, boh during he

prodemocracy proess and in realiaion for reporing;

impuniy for he organizers of such atacks; and new

financial burdens on some media as companies fel

pressure o pull adverising from oules ha were

criical of Beĳing.

Myanmar’s score declined rom o ,

reversing a hree-year rend o improvemens, as journaliss aced an increased hrea o arress, prosecuions, and closures o media oules. Many journalisswere arresed and received prison erms, and oreign journaliss encounered harsher visa resricions.

Thailand’s score declined rom o due ohe suspension o he consiuion and he

imposiion o marial law by he NCPO. The miliarygovernmen shu down privaely owned elevision anradio saions, which were only allowed o reopenafer conen resricions were pu in place; used regu

laory bodies o monior media and conrol conen;and prohibied inerviews wih opposiion poliicians,aciviss, and dissidens. The juna was also accusedo arbirarily deaining journaliss wihou access olegal counsel, amid allegaions o orure.

The Eurasia region’s average score remained he worsin he world in , wih declines in key counriesand he addiion o a separae assessmen or Crimeadriving he figure sharply downward. I is noable haour o he wors press reedom environmens inhe world—Belarus, Crimea, Uzbekisan, and Turk-menisan—are ound in Eurasia.

The mos dramaic change in he region occurred inUkraine, which moved rom No Free o Parly Free. Theall o Presiden Vikor Yanukovych’s auhoriarian gov-ernmen led o decreases in poliical pressure on saemedia and hosiliy oward independen voices. How-

ever, hese gains were parly offse by he effecs o heconflic in he counry’s easern regions, which creaedexensive dangers and obsacles or journaliss. A leasfive journaliss were killed in Ukraine in , includingone who died during he Euromaidan proess in Kyiv.

The Russian governmen ighened is grip on newsand inormaion in an already consriced mediaenvironmen. Auhoriies used a mixure o legislaivechanges, economic pressure, and sriden propagan-

Shrinking Space for Dissent

Eurasia

da—especially regarding he conflic in Ukraine—oachieve his end, suppressing independen repor-ing and deploying sae-conrolled oules o atackdomesic dissen and oreign adversaries.

Under Russian occupaion, Crimea’s once-pluralisicmedia environmen was batered by he closure andblocking o Ukrainian oules and he imposiion oresricive Russian media regulaions. There werealso numerous incidens o inimidaion and violenceconribuing o an exodus o journaliss rom Crimeaand perilous condiions or hose who sayed.

In Azerbaĳan, he governmen unleashed a majorcrackdown on independen media, employing hreasraids, resricive laws, and prosecuions. Journalissand bloggers aced abricaed charges and arbirarydeenion, and a leas eigh remained in prison a year’s end, making Azerbaĳan he wors jailer o jour-naliss in Eurasia. Economic and poliical pressures,including he reezing o asses and inimidaion, ledo he closure o muliple organizaions ha suppor journaliss’ righs, among hem he Media Righs


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EURASIA: STATUS BY COUNTRY

EURASIA: STATUS BY POPULATIONInsiue and he local offices o he inernaional ad-vocacy group IREX. Auhoriies also raided and closedhe Azerbaĳan bureau o RFE/RL, one o he srongesindependen oules available in he counry.

Moldova, which ook anoher sep closer o he Euro-pean Union afer signing an Associaion Agreemen inJune, remained a counry o paricular concern in .In addiion o problemaic regulaory decisions, mediaownership is concenraed and opaque, and he year’sparliamenary elecions, along wih he crisis in Ukraine,

ueled more parisan news coverage.


Azerbaĳan’s score declined rom o due ohe governmen’s heavy-handed atemps o

punish independen journaliss hrough arres, impris-onmen, physical inimidaion, and verbal harassmen.The governmen also used raids and arbirary criminalinvesigaions o impede he operaions o or closemuliple media organizaions.

Ukraine’s score improved rom o and is

saus improved rom No Free o Parly Free dueo a number o posiive changes in he media environ-men afer he collapse o he Yanukovych governmen,despie a rise in violence agains journaliss associaedwih he Euromaidan proess and he subsequenconflic in easern Ukraine. The level o governmenhosiliy and legal pressure on he media decreased, asdid poliical influence on sae-owned oules. Therewere also improvemens o he law on access o inorma-ion and in he auonomy o he broadcasing regulaor.

Free0


Not Free235,599,000

ll

82%

18%

0%

Not Free 1077%

Partly Free 323%

Free 00%

l

Totalcountries

13

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l

PartlyFree132,147,000

Free407,012,000

l

Not Free77,193,000

13%

21%66%

Fraying at the Edges

Europe

EUROPE: STATUS BY POPULATION

Europe boass a concenraion o high-perormingcounries, including Norway and Sweden, he world’sop-ranked saes wih overall scores o . Thesecounries provide ample space or independen, di-verse voices, and journaliss rarely ace inimidaion orphysical atacks. However, hey and oher high-rankingEuropean naions have sruggled in recen years oregulae hae speech wihou damaging reedom o

expression.

Alhough Europe reains he highes level o pressreedom in he world, is regional average scoredeclined or a second consecuive year in . Overhe pas decade, incremenal erosion o he legal andeconomic environmens, as well as inererence wihhe abiliy o journaliss o cover he news in person,have given Europe he world’s second-larges nedecline since , afer Eurasia.

Greece experienced ye anoher year o poliical

inererence and lack o ransparency a he newpublic broadcaser, New Hellenic Radio, Inerne,and Television (NERIT). Changes o broadcasinglegislaion urher barred he media marke o newenrans, which are already consrained by hegovernmen’s reusal o issue new licenses. Alsoin , DIGEA, a company whose shareholdersinclude major privae channels, secured a monopolyon digial broadcas ransmissions hrough a ailoredcompeiion.

l

Not Free 12%

Partly Free 1229%

Free 269%

Totalcountries

42

EUROPE: STATUS BY COUNTRY


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Among oher problems in Hungary, RTL Klub, one ohe wo bigges privae elevision saions, was dispro-porionaely affeced by an adverising ax. However,a proposed “inerne ax,” which would have levied acharge agains daa ranserred online, was deeaedin Ocober afer opponens mouned large-scale

demonsraions.

Poliical and economic pressures also played a rolein a score decline or Iceland in . The sae’sdominan posiion in he broadcas marke and igherconrol o he public broadcaser, Ríkisúvarpið (RÚV),have weakened he independence o he media sec-or, as has ediorial inererence rom privae owners.Deamaion remains a criminal offense in Iceland,despie he governmen’s recen effors o make hecounry an inernaional haven or criical voices.

Expansive naional securiy laws remained an issue oconcern in he Unied Kingdom ollowing revelaionso wide-ranging surveillance by he Governmen Com-municaions Headquarers and a raid on he news-room o he Guardian newspaper in . In France,he ar-righ Naional Fron pary coninued o denyaccess o he invesigaive oule Mediapart; he yearalso eaured he removal o journaliss rom poliicalevens, he harassmen and inimidaion o journalissa proess, and cyberatacks on news websies.

The Turkish media environmen coninued o dee-riorae as he governmen moved more aggressively

o close he space or dissen. In addiion o enac-ing new legislaion ha expanded boh governmenpowers or websie blocking and he surveillancecapabiliy o he inelligence service, officials deainedprominen journaliss rom he newspaper Zaman and he Samanyolu Broadcasing Group—which werelargely criical o he governmen and repored on

high-level corrupion—on charges o esablishing an

armed erroris organizaion.


Greece’s score declined rom o because

o urher governmen and parisan inererencein he media, as seen in resricive legislaive changes

o he broadcas marke, he creaion o a monopoly on

digial ransmissions hrough a flawed ender, and

poliically biased news coverage surrounding elecions.

Iceland’s score declined rom o due o

poliical inererence wih he work o journal-

iss, who ace he hrea o criminal deamaion

charges and he possibiliy o realiaory dismissal by

employers. Parisanship affecs he privae media, and

he sae has exered increasing influence on he

media secor hrough is dominance in he broadcasmarke and igher ediorial conrol o he public

broadcaser.

Serbia’s score declined rom o due o

increased governmen harassmen o journal-

iss and resricions on heir work, as well as a

decrease in he diversiy o media afer he cancella-

ion o major poliical alk shows.

Turkey ’s score declined rom o due o a

number o legislaive changes and coninuing

sae effors o influence reporing hrough inimida-ion and economic incenives. New laws resriced he

reedom o journaliss o repor on naional securiy

and empowered he inelligence service o access a

wide range o inormaion wihou oversigh, while

amendmens o he inerne law increased auhoriies’

power o block online conen.

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FREE

PARTLY FREE

NOT FREE

FREEDOMOF THE PRESS

2015


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l

Partly Free 316%

Free 15%

Not Free 1579%

Totalcountries

19

Afer hisoric gains in he Middle Eas in , only one

counry has coninued o make progress oward ulfill-ing he promise o he Arab Spring. Tunisia regiseredhe bes score o any Arab counry in over a decade,alhough i remained Parly Free. Conversely, Egyp andLibya, wo oher counries ha saw dramaic improve-mens in , mainained a patern o backsliding.Egyp’s score o is is wors in years, marking noonly he reversal o gains i made ollowing he ousero longime dicaor Hosni Mubarak, bu also a regres-sion oward he mos repressive years o he Mubarakera. Libya’s score also coninued o drop as a civil waraffeced he pos-Qadhafi media environmen.

The long-running conflic in Syria exacerbaed condi-ions in ha counry and conribued indirecly o de-clines in Iraq, including hrough he rise o IS. The waralso pu pressure on Lebanon, whose score reacheda five-year low o due o a marked increase in libelcases agains journaliss in . Penalies included jail ime and exorbian fines, and many publicaionsaced muliple suis rom he same aggrieved pary.Moreover, rulings rom Lebanon’s Cour o Publica-ions during he year indicaed a reflexive bias againshe media and poliical moives behind many cases.

While Israel remains he region’s only Free media envi-ronmen, he score for he Wes Bank and Gaza Srip de-

clined by wo poins o as a resul of he war in Gaza.

No only were members of he media killed and injured

during he conflic beween Israel and Hamas milians,

bu boh Israeli and Palesinian auhoriies resriced

journaliss’ movemen in Gaza and he Wes Bank.

In he Persian Gul, Qaar passed a new cybercrimelaw ha included onerous penalies or “alse news”

Tunisia Stands Out Amid Violence, Repression

Middle East and North Arica

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA:STATUS BY COUNTRY

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA:

STATUS BY POPULATION

l


Not Free386,849,000

l

Free8,208,000

93%

5% 2%

18


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and deamaion, hough here are hopes ha a new

Open Daa Policy will improve ransparency and ac-

cess o governmen sources. The media in Bahrain

coninued o suffer rom sel-censorship and persecu-

ion, and ciizen journaliss who dared o repor on

ongoing proess hrough social media increasingly

aced governmen reprisals. The Unied Arab Emiraesremained one o he mos repressive media environ-

mens in he region, belying is image as a cosmopoli-

an oasis among conservaive auhoriarian regimes.

Elsewhere on he Arabian Peninsula, Yemen’s score

declined wo poins o as boh governmen and

Houhi rebel orces argeed journaliss, and he me-

dia aced greaer pressure o serve poliical ineress.

Saudi Arabia’s auocraic regime bolsered exising

media resricions wih he passage o harsh anier-

rorism legislaion and increased arress o criics.


Algeria’s score declined rom o and is

saus declined rom Parly Free o No Free due

o resricions imposed on he media during he

presidenial elecion. A January law placed conen

limiaions on privaely owned elevision channels,

and governmen agencies wihdrew adverising rom

media oules ha covered opposiion paries. Foreign

journaliss were denied enry visas, had heir visas

resriced, or aced obsacles o access on he ground.

Egypt’s score declined rom o due oarress o journaliss and a number o deeply

flawed cour cases ha resuled in harsh punish-mens or journaliss and media workers. The hosileenvironmen has led o an increase in sel-censorshipand a drop in media diversiy, wih many oules

becoming arden supporers o he regime.

Iraq’s score declined rom o due o anincrease in censorship regarding coverage o IS

and Iraqi securiy orces, including inerne blackousin he summer o . The perilous securiy environ-men also made i more difficul and dangerous orepor rom large pars o he counry.

Libya’s score declined rom o due o heconinued deerioraion o he securiy environ-

men, which denied journaliss access o many areas.

Media workers were vulnerable o atacks, abducions,and assassinaions, and hey also aced prosecuionor deamaion and oher criminal offenses. Mediaoules came under acue pressure o adhere o heviews o he dominan miliia groups in heir area, ashe civil war exacerbaed poliical polarizaion.

Tunisia’s score improved rom o due ohe raificaion o he consiuion, which

guaranees reedom o speech and reedom o hepress, as well as incremenal decreases in ediorialpressure and atacks on journaliss.

Sub-Saharan Arica was he only region o showimprovemen in is average score in , regiseringa modes quarer-poin increase. Mos counries haearned improvemens sared rom a low baseline,such as Cenral Arican Republic and Guinea-Bissau.Meanwhile, press reedom condiions remained dire inEquaorial Guinea and Erirea, which rank among he

Wors o he Wors. Their auhoriarian governmensconinued o use legal pressure, imprisonmen, andoher orms o harassmen o suppress independenreporing. Oher poor perormers in he region—includ-ing Ehiopia (), Sudan (), and The Gambia ()—ound new ways o consrain he already-limied spacein which journaliss can operae. Ehiopian auhoriiessepped up arress o independen journaliss, includ-ing he Zone bloggers, leading more han o fleehe counry during he year, according o CPJ.

Ongoing Cycles of Repression and Recovery

Sub-Saharan Arica

In Nigeria, litle reporing was possible from areas of he

norheas conrolled by Boko Haram, and he miliary in-

creased is effors o punish criical coverage of is opera-

ions agains he exremis group. In June, soldiers seized

pressruns of several newspapers, including he Nation,

Daily Trust, and Leadership, from key disribuion poins

in a coordinaed naionwide effor. An army spokesper-

son said he seizures were a “rouine securiy acion.”

Four radiionally srong perormers in souhern A-rica—Boswana, Lesoho, Namibia, and Souh Arica—experienced unusually urbulen years. Increasedeffors by governmens o limi reporing on sensiiveissues, and arress o and violence agains journaliss,conribued o declines in heir press reedom scores.

In Kenya, securiy legislaion passed in December

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ll

l

Not Free 2142%

Partly Free 2550%

Free 48%

Totalcountries

50

ll

l

Not Free374,667,000Partly

Free557,049,000

l

Free

29,004,000

39%

58%

3%

SUBSAHARAN AFRICA: STATUS BY COUNTRY

SUBSAHARAN AFRICA: STATUS BY POPULATION

conained several vaguely worded clauses curailingpress freedom, including he hrea of hree years in

prison for journaliss who fail o obain police permission

before reporing on errorism invesigaions or opera-

ions, or for coverage “likely o cause public alarm, incie-

men o violence, or disurb public peace.” However, he

law faced an immediae cour challenge, and is mos

onerous provisions were overurned in early .


Botswana’s score declined rom o due ohe governmen’s use o he sediion law o

charge an edior and journalis ollowing publicaiono an aricle abou he presiden. The inciden enailedhe jailing o he edior or one nigh; he journalis hassubsequenly sough asylum in Souh Arica. The yearalso eaured increased exralegal harassmen o journaliss by he Direcorae o Inelligence andSecuriy (DIS), and a spae o physical atacks onmedia praciioners by srikers, governmen employ-ees, and privae ciizens.

Central African Republic’s score improved from

o due o gradual gains for he media environ-

men under he ransiional governmen of CaherineSamba-Panza, including a decrease in arress, ediorial

inerference, acs of censorship, and self-censorship.

Guinea-Bissau’s score improved rom o ,and is saus improved rom No Free o Parly

Free, due o srenghened legal proecions or hemedia, he reopening o privae oules, and areducion in censorship and atacks on journaliss inhe wake o ree and air elecions in April .

Madagascar ’s score improved rom o ,

and is saus improved rom No Free o ParlyFree, due o a more avorable environmen or hepress afer he resoraion o democraic rule,including a decline in direc pressure and censorshiprom he highes levels o governmen, and a generallack o violence oward journaliss in .

Somalia’s score improved from o due o he

increased abiliy of privae acors o open media

oules and he greaer disribuion of media, especially


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radio, hroughou he souh-cenral par of he counry.

South Africa’s score declined from o due

o he increased use of he aparheid-era Naional

Key Poins Ac o preven journaliss from invesigaing

imporan locaions or insiuions, paricularly when

probing corrupion involving poliical figures; he killingof a journalis a a proes in January and he harass-

men of ohers in he course of heir work; and an

increase in exrajudicial atacks, deenions, and

harassmen direced a he media by he police.

South Sudan’s score declined rom o due

o he governmen’s near-complee disregardor consiuional and legal proecions or reedom o

he press in , as well as he lack o such proec-ions in rebel-held areas; a marked increase in

resricions imposed on journaliss by he securiyorces; and heighened censorship, sel-censorship,

and realiaory atacks on journaliss.

Togo’s score improved rom o due o aconinued opening in he media environmen,

including an increase in prin oules, leading o agreaer diversiy o viewpoins.

Zimbabwe’s score improved rom o dueo a posiive cour ruling on criminal deama-

ion, a reducion in physical atacks on media workers,and eased resricions on oreign journaliss in .

ConclusionThis year’s ediion o Freedom of the Press documensa surge in hreas o independen journalism, rom gov-ernmens ha use legal means o conrol inormaion,armed groups ha make basic reporing a poeniallylie-hreaening aciviy, and media owners who ma-nipulae news coverage o serve personal or parisanineress.

A he same ime, here is renewed global ineres in

he values o ree expression ollowing a spae o hor-rific violence agains journaliss, noably he IS murderso James Foley, Seven Soloff, and mos recenlyJapanese reporer Kenji Goo, as well as he Janu-ary atack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Alhoughhe public seems more atuned o he dangers acedby journaliss on a daily basis, i is no ye clear whaimpac hese killings will have on he sruggle or pressreedom, or wheher he oupouring o suppor or reeexpression will be susained.

Some early signs are troubling. In France, the govern-

ment is considering new legislation to crack down onhate speech online—a commendable impulse at first

glance, but one that poses a potential threat to free

expression and offers no guarantee of reducing the

tensions that have led to violence. Indeed, while the

worst assaults on global access to news and informa-

tion come from authoritarian states, militant groups,

and organized crime, democratic governments risk

adding to the problem with overzealous responses to

hate speech and propaganda.

Such responses are misguided. Censorship is ine-ecive and ofen counerproducive as an anidoeo exremism, and is limied uiliy canno jusiy heinringemen o a undamenal democraic value likereedom o expression.

Unetered access o inormaion—abou poliics,religion, corrupion, and he counless oher poeniallysensiive opics ha have a direc impac on people’s

lives—is a cenral pillar o any ree sociey becausei enables individuals o evaluae such quesions orhemselves, raher han hrough a filer devised byhose in power. I allows ciizens o demand accoun-abiliy rom heir own governmens, o debunk propa-ganda and learn he ugly ruh abou exremis move-mens, and o advocae or social change and poliicalreorm as hey see fi. Resricions on expression maybe a poliically expedien way o reac o public discon-en and insecuriy, bu a long-erm soluion demandsopen debae, he complee exposure and analysis oodious views, he developmen o persuasive coun-

erargumens, and he implemenaion o policies oaddress underlying grievances and social ills.

The wide and growing range of hreas o media freedom

around he globe presens a sark challenge o demo-

craic values. Responding o his challenge requires a col-

lecive acknowledgemen ha all infringemens on me-

dia freedom—boh he brually violen and he seemingly

mundane or raional—limi he markeplace of ideas ha

lies a he core of a free and democraic sociey.

Freedom of information as a pillar of democracy

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Rank

Country Score Status

Norway Free

Sweden Free

Belgium Free

Finland FreeNeherlands Free

Denmark Free

Luxembourg Free

Andorra Free

Swizerland Free

Liechensein Free

Monaco Free

Palau Free

S. Lucia Free

Esonia Free

Iceland Free

Ireland Free

San Marino Free

Cosa Rica Free

Jamaica Free

Marshall Islands Free

S. Vincen and he Grenadines Free

Barbados Free

Canada Free

Germany Free

Porugal Free

New Zealand Free

S. Kits and Nevis Free

Bahamas Free

Czech Republic FreeMicronesia Free

Ausralia Free

Ausria Free

Belize Free

Unied Saes of America Free

France Free

Grenada Free

Mala Free

Slovakia Free

Unied Kingdom Free

Uruguay Free

Cyprus Free

Dominica Free

Japan Free

Lihuania Free

Slovenia Free

Vanuau Free

Poland Free

Cape Verde Free

Taiwan Free

Trinidad and Tobago Free

GLOBAL RANKINGS

Rank


Tuvalu Free

Ghana Free

Lavia Free

São Tomé and Príncipe FreeSolomon Islands Free

Spain Free

Kiribai Free

Papua New Guinea Free

Suriname Free

Tonga Free

Israel Free

Mauriius Free

Samoa Free

Chile Parly Free

Ialy Parly Free

Nauru Parly Free

Namibia Parly Free

Souh Korea Parly Free

Eas Timor Parly Free

Guyana Parly Free

Hungary Parly Free

Mali Parly Free

Mongolia Parly Free

Souh Africa Parly Free

Anigua and Barbuda Parly Free

Benin Parly Free

Bulgaria Parly Free

El Salvador Parly Free

Monenegro Parly Free Croaia Parly Free

India Parly Free

Serbia Parly Free

Hong Kong* Parly Free

Dominican Republic Parly Free

Romania Parly Free

Boswana Parly Free

Burkina Faso Parly Free

Mozambique Parly Free

Philippines Parly Free

Brazil Parly Free

Bolivia Parly Free

Peru Parly Free

Georgia Parly Free

Lesoho Parly Free

Senegal Parly Free

Tunisia Parly Free

Albania Parly Free

Comoros Parly Free

Indonesia Parly Free

Kosovo Parly Free

*Denoes erriories. NOTE: The raings reflec global developmens from January , , hrough December ,


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Rank


Malawi Parly Free

Panama Parly Free

Haii Parly Free

Mauriania Parly FreeSeychelles Parly Free

Sierra Leone Parly Free

Argenina Parly Free

Bosnia and Herzegovina Parly Free

Greece Parly Free

Niger Parly Free

Fĳi Parly Free

Nicaragua Parly Free

Côe d'Ivoire Parly Free

Nigeria Parly Free

Bangladesh Parly Free

Somaliland* Parly Free

Tanzania Parly Free

Colombia Parly Free

Lebanon Parly Free

Maldives Parly Free

Moldova Parly Free

Nepal Parly Free

Uganda Parly Free

Kenya Parly Free

Macedonia Parly Free

Ukraine Parly Free

Bhuan Parly Free

Congo (Brazzaville) Parly Free

Guinea-Bissau Parly FreeKuwai Parly Free

Madagascar Parly Free

Paraguay Parly Free

Guaemala Parly Free

Liberia Parly Free

Algeria No Free

Armenia No Free

Togo No Free

Zambia No Free

Mexico No Free

Ecuador No Free

Guinea No Free

Malaysia No Free

Pakisan No Free

Turkey No Free

Cameroon No Free

Jordan No Free

Morocco No Free

Afghanisan No Free

Kyrgyzsan No Free

Qaar No Free

Rank


Singapore No Free

Honduras No Free

Souh Sudan No Free

Cambodia No Free Angola No Free

Gabon No Free

Zimbabwe No Free

Oman No Free

Cenral African Republic No Free

Iraq No Free

Egyp No Free

Libya No Free

Myanmar No Free

Burundi No Free

Chad No Free

Brunei No Free

Djiboui No Free

Thailand No Free

Sri Lanka No Free

Unied Arab Emiraes No Free

Yemen No Free

Congo (Kinshasa) No Free

Rwanda No Free

Somalia No Free

Swaziland No Free

Sudan No Free

The Gambia No Free

Venezuela No Free

Tajikisan No Free

Ehiopia No Free

Russia No Free

Saudi Arabia No Free

Laos No Free

Wes Bank and Gaza Srip* No Free

Kazakhsan No Free

China No Free

Vienam No Free

Azerbaĳan No Free

Bahrain No Free

Equaorial Guinea No Free

Iran No Free

Syria No Free

Cuba No Free

Belarus No Free

Crimea* No Free

Erirea No Free

Turkmenisan No Free

Uzbekisan No Free

Norh Korea No Free

*Denoes erriories. NOTE: The raings reflec global developmens from January , , hrough December , .

GLOBAL RANKINGS (continued)

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Rank


S. Lucia Free

Cosa Rica Free

Jamaica Free

S. Vincen and he Grenadines Free

Barbados Free

Canada Free

S. Kits and Nevis Free

Bahamas Free

Belize Free

Unied Saes of America Free

Grenada Free

Uruguay Free

Dominica Free

Trinidad and Tobago Free

Suriname Free

Chile Parly Free

Guyana Parly Free

Anigua and Barbuda Parly Free

El Salvador Parly Free

Dominican Republic Parly Free

Brazil Parly Free

Bolivia Parly Free

Peru Parly Free

Panama Parly Free

Haii Parly Free

Argenina Parly Free

Nicaragua Parly Free

Colombia Parly Free

Paraguay Parly Free

Guaemala Parly Free

Mexico No Free

Ecuador No Free

Honduras No Free

Venezuela No Free

Cuba No Free

AMERICAS

*Denoes erriories. NOTE: The raings reflec global developmens from January , , hrough December ,

ASIAPACIFIC

Rank


Palau Free

Marshall Islands Free

New Zealand Free

Micronesia Free Ausralia Free

Japan Free

Vanuau Free

Taiwan Free

Tuvalu Free

Solomon Islands Free

Kiribai Free

Papua New Guinea Free

Tonga Free

Samoa Free

Nauru Parly Free

Souh Korea Parly Free

Eas Timor Parly Free

Mongolia Parly Free

India Parly Free

Hong Kong* Parly Free

Philippines Parly Free

Indonesia Parly Free

Fĳi Parly Free

Bangladesh Parly Free

Maldives Parly Free

Nepal Parly Free

Bhuan Parly Free

Malaysia No Free

Pakisan No Free

Afghanisan No Free

Singapore No Free

Cambodia No Free

Myanmar No Free

Brunei No Free

Thailand No Free

Sri Lanka No Free

Laos No Free

China No Free

Vienam No Free

Norh Korea No Free


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Rank


Georgia Parly Free

Moldova Parly Free

Ukraine Parly Free

Armenia No Free

Kyrgyzsan No Free

Tajikisan No Free

Russia No Free

Kazakhsan No Free

Azerbaĳan No Free

Belarus No Free

Crimea* No Free

Turkmenisan No Free

Uzbekisan No Free

Rank


Norway Free

Sweden Free

Belgium Free

Finland Free

Neherlands Free

Denmark Free

Luxembourg Free

Andorra Free

Swizerland Free

Liechensein Free

Monaco Free

Esonia Free

Iceland Free

Ireland Free

San Marino Free

Germany Free

Porugal Free

Czech Republic Free

Ausria Free

France Free

Mala Free

Slovakia Free

Unied Kingdom Free

Lihuania Free

Slovenia Free

Cyprus Free

Poland Free

Lavia Free

Spain Free

Ialy Parly Free

Hungary Parly Free

Bulgaria Parly Free

Monenegro Parly Free

Croaia Parly Free

Serbia Parly Free

Romania Parly Free

Albania Parly Free

Kosovo Parly Free

Bosnia and Herzegovina Parly Free

Greece Parly Free

Macedonia Parly Free

Turkey No Free

*Denoes erriories. NOTE: The raings reflec global developmens from January , , hrough December , .

EURASIAEUROPE

Rank


Israel Free

Tunisia Parly Free

Lebanon Parly Free

Kuwai Parly Free

Algeria No Free

Jordan No Free

Morocco No Free

Qaar No Free

Oman No Free

Iraq No Free

Egyp No Free

Libya No Free

Unied Arab Emiraes No Free

Yemen No Free

Saudi Arabia No Free

Wes Bank and Gaza Srip* No Free

Bahrain No Free

Iran No Free

Syria No Free

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

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Rank


Cape Verde Free

Ghana Free

São Tomé and Príncipe Free

Mauriius Free

Namibia Parly Free

Mali Parly Free

Souh Africa Parly Free

Benin Parly Free

Boswana Parly Free

Burkina Faso Parly Free

Mozambique Parly Free

Lesoho Parly Free

Senegal Parly Free

Comoros Parly Free

Malawi Parly Free

Mauriania Parly Free

Seychelles Parly Free

Sierra Leone Parly Free

Niger Parly Free

Côe d'Ivoire Parly Free

Nigeria Parly Free

Somaliland* Parly Free

Tanzania Parly Free

Uganda Parly Free

Kenya Parly Free

Congo (Brazzaville) Parly Free

Guinea-Bissau Parly Free

Madagascar Parly Free

Liberia Parly Free

Togo No Free

Zambia No Free

Guinea No Free

Cameroon No Free

Souh Sudan No Free

Angola No Free

Gabon No Free

Zimbabwe No Free

Cenral African Republic No Free

Burundi No Free

Chad No Free

Djiboui No Free

Congo (Kinshasa) No Free

Rwanda No Free

Somalia No Free

Swaziland No Free

Sudan No Free

The Gambia No Free

Ehiopia No Free

Equaorial Guinea No Free

Erirea No Free

SUBSAHARAN AFRICA

Methodology

The ediion o Freedom of the Press, which pro-vides analyical repors and numerical raings or counries and erriories, coninues a process con-duced by Freedom House since . Each counryand erriory is given a oal press reedom score rom (bes) o (wors) on he basis o mehodol-ogy quesions divided ino hree subcaegories. Theoal score deermines he saus designaion o FreeParly Free, or No Free. Assigning numerical scoresallows or comparaive analysis among counries andaciliaes an examinaion o rends over ime. Theraings and repors included in Freedom of the Press cover evens ha ook place beween January , and December , .

Criteria

Aricle o he Universal Declaraion o HumanRighs saes:

Everyone has he righ o reedom o opinionand expression; his righ includes reedomo hold opinions wihou inererence and oseek, receive, and impar inormaion and ideashrough any media regardless o roniers.

All saes, rom he mos democraic o he mosauhoriarian, are commited o his docrine hroughhe UN sysem. To deny i is o deny he universaliy obasic human righs. We recognize ha culural disincions or economic underdevelopmen may affec hecharacer or volume o news flows wihin a counry,bu hese and oher differences are no accepableexplanaions or inringemens like cenralized conroo he conen o news and inormaion. We seek oassess media reedom using common crieria orall setings, in poor and rich counries as well as in

counries o various ehnic, religious, and culuralbackgrounds.

Research and Scoring Process

The repor’s findings are reached afer a mulilayeredprocess o analysis and evaluaion by a eam o re-gional expers and scholars. Alhough some degree osubjeciviy may be unavoidable, he process empha-sizes inellecual rigor and aims or consisen andunbiased judgmens.

*Denoes erriories.NOTE: The raings reflec global developmens fromJanuary , , hrough December , .


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The research and scoring process involves morehan analyss—including ouside consulans andmembers o he core research eam headquarered inNew York—who prepare he draf raings and counryrepors. They gaher inormaion rom proessionalconacs in a variey o counries, saff and consulanravel, inernaional visiors, he findings o oher hu-man righs and press reedom organizaions, regionalspecialiss, he repors o governmens and muli-laeral bodies, and a variey o domesic and inerna-ional news media. We would paricularly like o hankhe oher members o he Inernaional Freedom oExpression Exchange (IFEX) nework or providing de-ailed and imely analyses o press reedom violaionsin a variey o counries worldwide, on which we rely omake our judgmens.

The raings are reviewed individually and on a com-paraive basis in a se o six regional meeings involv-ing analyss, advisers, and Freedom House saff. Theraings are compared wih he previous year’s findings,and any proposed changes are subjeced o addedscruiny. These reviews are ollowed by cross-regionalassessmens in which an effor is made o ensure

comparabiliy and consisency in he findings.

Methodology

Through he years, we have refined and expanded ourmehodology. Recen modificaions have been inendedo capure changes in he news and inormaion envi-ronmen wihou alering he comparabiliy o daa or agiven counry over he -year span o he index, or hecomparaive raings o all counries over ha period.

Our examinaion o he level o press reedom in eachcounry and erriory currenly comprises mehod-

ology quesions and subquesions divided inohree broad caegories: he legal environmen, hepoliical environmen, and he economic environmen.For each mehodology quesion, a lower numbero poins is alloted or a more ree siuaion, whilea higher number o poins is alloted or a less reeenvironmen. A counry’s final score (rom o )represens he oal o he scores alloted or eachquesion. A oal score o o resuls in a pressreedom saus o Free; o a saus o Parly Free;

and o a saus o No Free.

The diverse naure o he mehodology quesionsseeks o address he varied ways in which pressurecan be placed on he flow o inormaion and heabiliy o prin, broadcas, and inerne-based mediao operae reely and wihou ear o repercussions. Inshor, we seek o provide a picure o he enire “en-abling environmen” in which he media operae. Wealso seek o assess he diversiy o he news and inor-maion available o he public in any given counry orerriory, rom eiher local or ransnaional sources.

The legal environment caegory encompasses an ex-aminaion o boh he laws and regulaions ha couldinfluence media conen, and he exen o which heyare used in pracice o resric he media’s abiliy ooperae. We assess he posiive impac o legal andconsiuional guaranees or reedom o expression;he poenially negaive aspecs o securiy legislaion,he penal code, and oher criminal saues; penaliesor libel and deamaion; he exisence o and abiliy ouse reedom o inormaion legislaion; he indepen-dence o he judiciary and official regulaory bodies;

regisraion requiremens or boh media oules and journaliss; and he abiliy o journaliss’ organizaionso operae reely.

Under he political environment caegory, we evalu-ae he degree o poliical conrol over he conen onews media. Issues examined include he ediorial in-dependence o boh sae-owned and privaely ownedoules; access o inormaion and sources; officialcensorship and sel-censorship; he vibrancy o hemedia and he diversiy o news available wihin eachcounry; he abiliy o boh oreign and local reporers

o cover he news in person wihou obsacles or ha-rassmen; and reprisals agains journaliss or bloggersby he sae or oher acors, including arbirary deen-ion, violen assauls, and oher orms o inimidaion.

Our hird caegory examines he economic environ-ment or he media. This includes he srucure omedia ownership; ransparency and concenraion oownership; he coss o esablishing media as well asany impedimens o news producion and disribuion;

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he selecive wihholding o adverising or subsidiesby he sae or oher acors; he impac o corrupionand bribery on conen; and he exen o which heeconomic siuaion in a counry affecs he develop-men and susainabiliy o he media.

Methodology Questions 2015

LEGAL ENVIRONMENT (– POINTS)

. Do he consiuion or oher basic laws conain provi-sions designed o proec reedom o he press ando expression, and are hey enorced? (– points)

. Do he penal code, securiy laws, or any oher lawsresric reporing and are journaliss or bloggerspunished under hese laws? (– points)

. Are here penalies or libeling officials or he sae

and are hey enorced? (– points)

. Is he judiciary independen and do cours judgecases concerning he media imparially? (– points)

. Is Freedom o Inormaion legislaion in place, andare journaliss able o make use o i? (– points)

. Can individuals or business eniies legally esablishand operae privae media oules wihou undueinererence? (– points)

. Are media regulaory bodies, such as a broadcas-

ing auhoriy or naional press or communicaionscouncil, able o operae reely and independenly?(– points)

. Is here reedom o become a journalis and opracice journalism, and can proessional groupsreely suppor journaliss’ righs and ineress?(– points)

POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT (– POINTS)

. To wha exen are media oules’ news and inorma-ion conen deermined by he governmen or a

paricular parisan ineres? (– points)

. Is access o official or unofficial sources generallyconrolled? (– points)

. Is here official or unofficial censorship? (– points

. Do journaliss pracice sel-censorship? (– points

. Do people have access o media coverage and arange o news and inormaion ha is robus and

reflecs a diversiy o viewpoins? (– points)

. Are boh local and oreign journaliss able o coverhe news reely in erms o harassmen and physicalaccess? (– points)

. Are journaliss, bloggers, or media oules subjec oexralegal inimidaion or physical violence by saeauhoriies or any oher acor as a resul o heirreporing? (– points)

ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT (– POINTS)

. To wha exen are media owned or conrolled by hegovernmen and does his influence heir diversiy oviews? (– points)

. Is media ownership ransparen, hus allowing con-sumers o judge he imparialiy o he news?(– points)

. Is media ownership highly concenraed and doeshis influence diversiy o conen? (– points)

. Are here resricions on he means o news produc-ion and disribuion? (– points)

. Are here high coss associaed wih he esablish-men and operaion o media oules? (– points)

. Do he sae or oher acors ry o conrol he mediahrough allocaion o adverising or subsidies?(– points)

. Do journaliss, bloggers, or media oules receivepaymen rom privae or public sources whose de-sign is o influence heir journalisic conen? (– points)

. Does he overall economic siuaion negaively im-pac media oules’ financial susainabiliy?(– points)

NOTE: Under each quesion, a lower number o poins is alloted or a more ree siuaion, while a highernumber o poins is alloted or a less ree environmen. A complee lis o he subquesions used o make heassessmens can be ound online a htps://reedomhouse.org/repor/reedom-press-/mehodology.


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Freedom House is a nonprofi,nonparisan organizaion hasuppors democraic change,

M Sree NW, h FloorWashingon, DC

www.reedomhouse.orgacebook.com/FreedomHouseDC@reedomHouseDC

freedom house: informe libertad de prensa 2015

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