Respect and Progress, Complaints and Deficits

Michael Hedges October 25, 2010 Follow on Twitter

Press freedom, loosely defined, is a mirror on the social values on nations. Post-modern media gives away nothing, jumping from platform to platform, often loudly. National leaders either accept the chaotic information blitz coming from all directions or choose silence.

Media freedom watcher Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF) released (October 20) its Press Freedom Index 2010 with the usual praise for openness and transparency mixed with biting reminders of oppression and cruelty. The organization has prepared this report each year since 2001, itself a reminder of a new century’s hope and aspiration. Nations at the top and bottom of the list have changed little, in between are big jumps up the list and down.

Praised in this years’ RSF Press Freedom Index are Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, “the engines of press freedom,” said RSF secretary-general Jean-François Julliard. “These six countries set an example in the way they respect journalists and news media and protect them from judicial abuse,” said the RSF summary. New legislation in Iceland and Sweden gave journalists and news organizations “whose role in a democracy is to question and challenge those in positions of power” greater protections. Austria, ranked 7th in the 2010 Index, rose from 13th in 2009.

Within the EU 27, Greece and Bulgaria rank lowest, tied with Benin, Comoros and Kenya for 70th . RSF cites “meddling” by politicians. It’s an old problem in old Europe, too, said the RSF statement, which specifically notes France and Italy. “Events of the past year - violation of the protection of journalists' sources, the continuing concentration of media ownership, displays of contempt and impatience on the part of government officials towards journalists and their work, and judicial summonses - have confirmed their inability to reverse this trend.” France dropped to 42nd in the 2010 Index from 30th in 2005. Italy places 49th down from 42nd five years ago.

Of the twelve countries entering the European Union since 2004, most have spotty records regarding media freedoms. Only four – Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania – improved ranking in the RSF Index since 2005. Romania is ranked 52nd in the 2010 RSF Index, up from 70th in 2005, still at the low end for European rankings. RSF cites a continuing problem in Romania with corruption affecting the media sphere.

In the 2005 RSF rankings, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic made the top 10 globally. In five years Slovakia, under a repressive government, fell from 8th to 35th. Slovenia and the Czech Republic were both ranked 9th in 2005. Slovenia has dropped to 46th and the Czech Republic to 23rd, tied with Hungary, which has fallen from 12th ranking in 2005. Cyprus has fallen from 25th ranking to 45th since 2005. Malta, not ranked in 2005, placed 14th globally in the 2010 RSF Index.

Bulgaria has fallen the most among the twelve EU accession countries overr five years. Among others in the southern tier of Europe, Bulgaria suffers from politicians unable to unshackle from old ways. “Instead of improving the situation, politicians in Bulgaria, regardless of their party allegiance, want to control the media,” said RSF Belgium spokesperson Olivier Basille to Novinite (October 23). “They continue to regard the press as a mouthpiece of the state and the government. Following Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, it was expected that the country will raise its standards in this respect in line with the other member states, but it didn't.”

On Europe’s fringes press freedom remains threatened. Turkey’s ranking has fallen to 138th ranking – between Mexico and Ethiopia – from 98th in the 2005 RSF Index. The media watcher cites “the frenzied proliferation of lawsuits, incarcerations, and court sentencing targeting journalists.”

Seeming to address the RSF report, Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul said to a meeting of the Turkish Journalists Federation (October 20) that “compared to the past, Turkey has progressed a lot to fulfill the criteria of the European Union. However, considering press freedom there are a few complaints and deficits,” reported Bianet (October 22).

“What took my attention,” President Gul continued, “and what I drew attention to in recent times is the increasing number of court cases opened against journalists and the various ways theses trials were opened. I am sure that all of these cases will be sorted out once they are tried at court. Press freedom is also a matter of a country’s dignity.”

Ukraine’s “slow and steady deterioration in press freedom” to 131st in the 2010 RSF Index from 112th in 2005 was pegged by RSF to the election of President Viktor Yanukovych. “Everything happens via messages from the powers that be to media owners,” said Telekritica’s Latalia Ligachova to the Financial Times (October 20). “Everything reported about the administration should be good, or don’t report it.”

On Europe’s southern fringes press freedom appears deteriorating. Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro fell in the RSF Index. “Blighted by mafioso activities which, every year, strengthen their financial stranglehold on the media sector, independent publications are waging an ongoing battle which deserves more sustained attention from European neighbors,” said the report. Albania, Croatia and Moldova improved their rankings. Belarus, tucked between Poland and Ukraine, fell to 154th.

RSF’s annual Press Freedom Index is not without its critics. The online news site Afrol said (October 20) the 2010 ranking for African countries “cannot be taken seriously,” a particularly in regard to South Africa. “The RSF ranking includes many more examples of surprisingly poor insight in the African media landscape,” said the editorial. “Kenya, for example, is a country with less media freedom than Guinea-Bissau and the Central African Republic, according to the index. Has anybody in RSF ever been to Kenya, Guinea-Bissau or the Central African Republic?”

The organization grants that rankings, like the very concept of press freedom, are based on subjective evaluations by correspondents. Freedom House, which also produces an annual country-by-country press freedom evaluation, has also been criticized for bias toward American interests as it receives two-thirds of its funding from the United States government.

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