BBC (“Governments not protecting press freedom, report says“):
Political attacks on journalists are increasing across the globe, according to the annual World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.
These attacks include the detention of journalists, the spreading of misinformation and suppression of independent voices.
With more than half of the world’s population going to the polls in 2024, governments are failing to protect journalism, the organisation says.
The report comes as the BBC warned that over 300 of its journalists were now working in exile from their home countries, amid increasing attacks on their reporting.
“Some political groups fuel hatred and distrust of journalists by insulting them, discrediting them, and threatening them,” the organisation – known by its French acronym RSF – said.
RSF’s index ranks 180 countries on the ability for journalists to work without interference or threats.
Norway retained its spot at the top and “information desert” Eritrea came bottom, taking over from last year’s lowest-ranked nation, North Korea. The bottom 10 also includes China, Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria.
Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany rounded out the top 10.
The UK rose three places to 23, with RSF criticising the dominant role held by News UK, Reach Plc and Daily Mail and General Trust in the market.
Authoritarian regimes across the Middle East have been tightening their grip on news and information with “increasing vigour”, according to the report.
Four of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran, are in the region and continue to detain newsgatherers, according to the RSF report.
At least 100 journalists have been killed in Gaza between 7 October 2023 and 1 May 2024, according to the RSF.
The United States (55) has fallen 10 places ahead of elections due to increasing attacks on journalists from political players.
The report also criticised the “highly concentrated” model of US media ownership, adding that “many of the companies buying American media outlets appear to prioritize profits over public interest journalism”.
So, there are 54 countries in the world where the press is more free than in the United States, with its vaunted 1st Amendment? That’s quite sobering! And, clearly, the press must be inordinately free in a lot of countries.
None will be shocked to see Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland as the most free. But they’re followed by Estonia and Portugal. And it’s counterintuitive, indeed, that Latvia (12), Czech Republic (17), Timor-Leste (20), Samoa (22), Moldova (31), Namibia (34), Dominican Republic (35 Armenia (43), Tonga (45), Ghana (50), and Ivory Coast (53) have more press freedom.
Curious, I dug into the RSF “country file” for Estonia (6th), Dominican Republic (35th), and the United States (55th) for comparison. (No, these aren’t cherry-picked. I chose Estonia because it was the first non-obvious counter on the list and the Dominican Republic because it was non-obvious and exactly 20 places higher on the list. I didn’t look at any others.)
Topline summary
Estonia:
Although press freedom is guaranteed on the legal and political levels, journalists face the risk of self-censorship due to anti-defamation legislation and cyber-bullying.
Dominican Republic:
In the Dominican Republic, freedom of the press and of expression are real and guaranteed by the Constitution. Recent years have seen a decline in verbal and physical attacks on journalists.
USA:
After a sharp increase in 2020, freedom of the press violations have fallen significantly in the United States, but major structural barriers to press freedom persist in this country, once considered a model for freedom of expression.
Offhand, this doesn’t sound like three wildly different media environments. And, blind-ranking just on the descriptions, I’d certainly put USA ahead of DR.
Media landscape
Estonia:
Subject to consolidation over the last decade, the Estonian media market now features two major media houses (Postimees Group and Ekspress Group), public broadcaster ERR, local media, and a number of independent online outlets. Russian-speaking media, including a public TV channel, public and private radio stations, as well as independent websites cater to the Russian-speaking minority that makes up 25% of the population.
DR:
As Dominican democracy seems to consolidate, the media has taken on a more important role and its influence has increased. The media landscape is diverse and dynamic, and journalists regularly uncover scandals involving current or former political figures, as well as their entourage. The population has access to all media. Major newspapers have both print and digital versions, television and radio broadcast daily news programs, and the Internet has grown to become a mass medium that has given rise to smaller outlets. The newspapers with the largest circulations are Diario Libre and Listín Diario, with the latter being distributed for free since its inception.
USA:
While the mainstream media in the United States generally operates free from government interference, media ownership is highly concentrated, and many of the companies buying American media outlets appear to prioritize profits over public interest journalism. In a diverse global media landscape, local news has declined significantly in recent years. A growing interest in partisan media threatens objectivity, while public confidence in the media has fallen dangerously.
Again, the rankings bear no obvious relationship to the descriptions. While I wouldn’t consider media consolidation a measure of “freedom,” it’s clearly a problem. But no country on the planet has more diversity of media outlets than the United States. DR is ranked twenty spots higher and praised for newspapers having both print and digital editions—which has been the norm here for going on three decades now. And, certainly, the American press routinely uncovers scandals.
Political context
Estonia:
The political environment has been characterized by a relative neutrality towards journalism and few verbal attacks, which has contributed to journalists being able to hold politicians accountable without fear of persecution.
DR:
More and more journalists are identified as having links with political parties. As in other countries, politicians present their positions and ideas in the press. Disinformation or smear campaigns targeting the media are relatively rare in the Dominican Republic, and most occur on social media. These campaigns also work to spread false information about the country.
USA:
After four years of President Donald Trump’s constant denigration of the press, his successor, President Joe Biden, declared that “journalism is not a crime.” Despite this rhetoric, many of the chronic, underlying issues affecting journalists remain unaddressed, and Biden himself has come under criticism for failing to press US partners like Israel and Saudi Arabia on press freedom.
Again, the writeups and rankings are wildly out of sync. The US President staunchly stands up for press freedom but is being downgraded for not pressing Saudi Arabia harder?!
Legal framework
Estonia:
Although constitutionally guaranteed, media freedom is constrained by legislation protecting against defamation and disclosure of private data. While the fear of defamation lawsuits may lead to self-censorship, the laws protecting private data have recently become a pretext of Estonian authorities to increasingly restrict media’s access to public information. The ethical framework for journalists is codified by the Association of Media Companies and by most media organizations separately.
DR:
The Dominican Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, but some articles of the Penal Code still impose prison sentences for journalists found guilty of defamation or slander. In recent years, the Constitutional Court (TCRD) has declared unconstitutional sanctions imposed on directors or owners of media outlets who authorise the publication of information written by a third party (journalist or columnist). Several bills aimed at decriminalising press offences have been submitted to the bicameral congress. The government has set up a commission of journalists and jurists to study amendments to Law 6132 on the expression and dissemination of thought, which dates from the early 1960s.
USA:
There is a growing push to revisit the landmark New York Times Co. v Sullivan decision, which largely shields the media from defamation lawsuits. The PRESS Act, a federal shield law aimed at protecting journalists and their sources, narrowly defeated in 2022, is still under consideration in the Senate. The US government continues to pursue the extradition of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, who remains in detention in the United Kingdom, to face justice on charges related to the publication of classified documents in 2010. More than a dozen states and communities have proposed or enacted laws to limit journalists’ access to public spaces, including barring them from legislative meetings and preventing them from recording the police.
What country on the planet allows the theft and dissemination of its classified documents? Otherwise, once again, the description makes the US legal framework sound considerably friendlier to journalists than the countries ranked well ahead.
Economic context
Estonia:
Media ownership in Estonia is so concentrated that it can be considered an oligopoly. The owners of the two major media groups also have stakes in other business sectors. Estonian private media are operating within a small market with limited access to funding, which constrains them to looking for new revenue sources such as organizing events. The budget for public broadcasting is increasingly limited and may be subject to political influence.
DR:
Pay TV and the Internet have fostered the appearance of dozens of programs and small online media outlets. The most important publications have emphasised their online content and reduced their paper format. Due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, they have also had to reduce their page numbers. Publicity, whether public or private, plays an essential role in the development of the press. While public campaigns are still mainly directed at larger media outlets, smaller ones have also benefitted. Politicians are increasingly involved in television and Internet programs that they create in order to have a platform to air their views. Some, however, start programs on other topics so as to maintain some relevance.
USA:
Economic constraints have a considerable impact on journalists. Roughly one third of the American newspapers operating in 2005 have now shuttered. While some public media outlets, and radio stations in particular, have been able to offset this decline thanks to online subscription models, others have found ways to sustain growth through individual donations. Massive waves of layoffs swept the US media throughout 2023 and have continued into 2024, affecting both local newsrooms and major legacy outlets like the Washington Post, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, NBC News, Vice Media and Vox. Over 3,000 jobs were lost in the news industry in 2023, the highest rate since 2020 when over 16,000 jobs were cut.
Again, it seems that the comparison standards are wildly different. That most of the American press is profit-driven certainly has side effects—but so does government-run, nonprofit press. But, even with the consolidation of newspaper chains and local television and radio, the situation could hardly be described as an “oligopoly.”
Sociocultural context
Estonia:
Although no long-term cultural or societal constraints have prevented journalists from doing their job, the media were accused by a part of the population of complacency with the authorities and pharmaceutical companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, journalists suffered online and offline verbal attacks.
DR:
Even though Dominicans consider the role of the press to be positive, the main news outlets are owned by a single, very large private consortium, which is among the most powerful in the country and which brings together businessmen from the banking and construction sectors. These include Listín Diario, Hoy, El Nacional, El Caribe, El Día (free), Diario Libre, and television channels such as Telesistema, Teleantillas and Coral.
USA:
According to recent studies, the level of distrust in the American media is unprecedented. The disinformation affecting American society has created an atmosphere where citizens no longer know who to trust. Online harassment, particularly towards women and minorities, is also a serious issue for journalists and can impact their quality of life and safety.
This all seems very apples and oranges. Why the discussion of the ownership of the DR media isn’t under Economic Context is anyone’s guess. That said, while I wouldn’t characterize any of this as a measure of “Press Freedom,” the writeups here at least portray the US as arguably more problematic than the other two.
Safety
Estonia:
While physical attacks against them are extremely rare, journalists have been exposed to a growing number of online threats by private individuals, the most severe cases being reported to the police and investigated. The media houses have deployed measures to better protect journalists, but in the context of lacking systematic psychological assistance, cyberbullying may have a self-censorship effect on journalists.
DR:
In the Dominican Republic, journalists work in satisfactory, safe working conditions. However, there is widespread fear of being wiretapped by the government or by some large companies. One of the main scourges of the profession is self-censorship in regards to the interests of media owners. In addition, many journalists work in ministries and other public institutions, as well as in the private media, mainly to escape low salaries. Journalists who have received death threats have been given state protection.
USA:
There is a troubling pattern of harassment, intimidation and assault on journalists in the field. In September 2022, Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German was stabbed to death by a politician he was investigating. Dylan Lyons, a reporter for Spectrum News 13 in Orlando, Florida, was himself shot while covering a shooting in February 2023. When covering demonstrations, journalists are sometimes attacked and physically assaulted by demonstrators. Several reporters have also been arrested while covering such events.
Once again, the points of comparison are suspect. Two journalists have been killed in two years, one by a local politician and one while at a crime scene. That’s not a significant safety issue. Being at risk of assault and arrest while covering angry mobs, though, is. But the write-ups gives us no idea of whether that kind of thing happens in the 54 countries ranked ahead of the US.
All-in-all, this is just some weak tea and it’s bizarre that serious press outlets treat this index as a legitimate tool for comparison. Rather clearly, less developed countries are given considerably more benefit of the doubt than more advanced countries. Which I’m all for in a normative assessment but absolutely destroys the value of an index.
