Reporters Without Borders: Ukraine has improved its 'Press Freedom Index'
The international non-governmental organization, Reporters Without Borders, published the results of its Press Freedom Index, which assesses both freedom of speech and freedom of the press in 180 countries.
The freest media by continent, according to the report, is in Europe (19.8 points), followed by Africa with 36.9 points. This is the first time the African continent bypassed North America and South America (where the index is at 37.1 points). Asian countries scored 43.8 points. The countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia have 48.4 points. The most unfavorable situation with freedom of speech and the media is in North Africa and the Middle East which equals to 50.8 points.
"Many state leaders have an almost paranoid reaction to legitimate criticism from independent journalists. When the autocratic presidents and governments, through legislation, protect themselves from criticism, it promotes self-censorship and stifles any political discussion. However, the vigorous and polemic mass-media need to be exactly where the problems are the most serious and society has to agree on the optimal path for the future," the representative of Reporters Without Borders, Michael Rediske, said.
In Russia, a number of foreign publishers have been forced to sell their shares to the Russian media system. The non-governmental organizations that are advocating for freedom of the press are under pressure. Moscow is also increasingly and shamelessly trying to influence the coverage of events abroad, Reporters Without Borders noted.
The document indicates that Russia improved its ranking by 4 points and now ranks 148 out of 180. However, these minor improvements are noticeable only against the background of the deteriorating situation in neighboring countries.
Ukraine raised its rating by 22 points, thus occupying 107th place. Germany has lowered its rating by 4 points and now occupies 16th place. The biggest loss in the ranking was Tajikistan, degraded by 34 points to 150th place.
The leaders in the rankings are Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand. The worst situation in the sphere of mass media (seats from 176th to 180th) is China, Syria, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea.