Fredom of Press in the World - US decline

[bobgote]

In the thirty days after Katrina hit the New York Times ran 53 articles criticizing George Bush. Come on man, if that's lack of opposition or criticism then I don't want to know what you consider really slamming someone.

it's taken this long to get there though. how much incompetance did it take before the media stepped in? far too much. there was always some discontent, but certainly not enough based on what was going on.

 

[amadeus]

the US there clamped down early on dissenting press.

When Iraqi "newspapers" published lies about U.S. soldiers and incited violence against them, that wasn't dissent. That was slander and an incitement to violence. It'd get publications shut down in every other country in the world and Iraq was no exception.

 

[bobgote]

i suppose you'll say it was just an 'accident' when they shot reuters reporters and the like too

 

[amadeus]

Sure, the U.S. Army and Department of Defense conspired to kill on the ground correspondents in Iraq.

 

[bobgote]

he admits it!

 

[nerovats]

I don´t see what the surprices are. Please clarify.

I think in the Netherlands as least the press is more or less to free. It´s not about news anymore but about getting more readers / viewers. Some events should be kept outside of the news to prevent giving other people idea´s. For example there were these kids who had trown stones on the highway which kiled a woman. It was in the news a lot, then a lot more childeren started trowing bricks...

 

[Maniacal]

Well, in the US there weel, WAS anyways a extremely pro republican zeal. Especialy aince the sheep of the mob believed whatever they heard, eg FOX NEWS was pretty bad, they claimed no biased, they were VERY VERY biased.

 

[bobgote]

Well, in the US there weel, WAS anyways a extremely pro republican zeal. Especialy aince the sheep of the mob believed whatever they heard, eg FOX NEWS was pretty bad, they claimed no biased, they were VERY VERY biased.

you don't say...?

i didn't even suspect that until you brought it up, but now you come to mention it...

 

[Winner]

I'd say there's a tad of bias or miscalculation in there. How many people in the U.S. are arrested for having an opinion that is not accepted by the state? In parts of Europe, if you express an opinion that is considered "hateful," you find yourself in jail and in this survey it's those countries that rank higher on the freedom of journalism list?

In coutries like Belarus, Moldova or Russia? Maybe. Where I live? Never more. The past experience with totalitarian regime gaves the media a lot of influence and power.

By the way, wasn't one US journalist jailed because she refused to uncover her source?

 

[Stapel]

I'd say there's a tad of bias or miscalculation in there. How many people in the U.S. are arrested for having an opinion that is not accepted by the state? In parts of Europe, if you express an opinion that is considered "hateful," you find yourself in jail and in this survey it's those countries that rank higher on the freedom of journalism list?

Since NL is at the absolute top:
I don't recall any reporter in NL being sent to jail. If you state that people from countries on the top of this list, end in jail, you are simply wrong!

There is exactly one example of brucing the freedom of the Press here, and that was in the 50-60s with Willem Oltmans. The whole thing was rectified in 2000 .

Oltmans was arguably the best journalist we ever had. And that's coming from someone who disagreed with him a lot, in his later days.

http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/currentaffairs/region/netherlands/ned041001.html



Now, please inform me about the imprisonment of New York Times reporter Judith Miller!

 

[Dann]

Philippines is at No. 139? That low? There are certain newspapers there whose philosophy is to be at odds with every newly elected government, finding fault with everything that the authorities do. They do this to the point of getting sued for libel. (That's about all government can do to them today, unlike 30 years ago.) Wonder how Reporters Without Borders did these rankings?

The year 2002:
...
...
130 Iraq 79,00
131 Vietnam 81,25
132 Eritrea 83,67
133 Laos 89,00
134 Cuba 90,25
135 Bhutan 90,75
136 Turkmenistan 91,50
137 Burma 96,83
138 China 97,00
139 North Korea 97,50

Nothing really changed.

Sure something did. In 2002 China was just above North Korea. Today there's 7 other nations between us.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

I wouldn´t trust a poll that puts Austria that far on top (16th but Winner forgot to bold us). Seriously, we have only 1 private TV channel and 3 public ones. There are state subsidues for newspapers....that play nice.

 

[bobgote]

actually in australia, our public tv stations are far less biased, and more critical of government, than our commercial ones. australia wouldn't be looking so good if it weren't for the ABC.

 

[Marla_Singer]

The report insists on the fact it doesn't judge the quality of the press, simply the freedom journalists have to investigate and publish whatever they want.

The report also warns that it doesn't consider only freedom of press limitations coming from the government but any kind of limitations coming from any kind of sources.

 

[Grisu]

wohoo, we won

I don't really know if it's accurate of other countries, but I have to agree that the freedom of press is pretty much granted here...

 

[JohnRM]

I'd say there's a tad of bias or miscalculation in there. How many people in the U.S. are arrested for having an opinion that is not accepted by the state? In parts of Europe, if you express an opinion that is considered "hateful," you find yourself in jail and in this survey it's those countries that rank higher on the freedom of journalism list?

We have had reporters threatened and even jailed for not revealing confidential sources. The ability to maintain confidential sources is crucial to a free press.

 

[The Last Conformist]

When Iraqi "newspapers" published lies about U.S. soldiers and incited violence against them, that wasn't dissent. That was slander and an incitement to violence.

That's incidentally the same as the motivation for those European hate-speech laws you were speaking about.

 

[silver 2039]

India at 106...? That seems wrong....

 

[Blazer6]

I would prefer a rating over a span of many years before making assumptions.

 

[Kayak]

I'd say there's a tad of bias or miscalculation in there. How many people in the U.S. are arrested for having an opinion that is not accepted by the state? In parts of Europe, if you express an opinion that is considered "hateful," you find yourself in jail and in this survey it's those countries that rank higher on the freedom of journalism list?

Well the current administration does seem to blackball critical reporters/media outlets. You are also forgetting corporate pressure on the press.