US drops 20 notches in the new 2005 World Press Freedom Index--

From the new World Media Watch now up at the URL in the sig below
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com

Apparently, the world media still see Judy Miller as a hero.....


1//Worldpress.org, US October 22, 2005

http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2166.cfm



Press Release

THE 2005 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX: COLOMBIA , MEXICO AND CUBA ARE HOLDING BACK THE CONTINENT



Reporters Without Borders
Paris, France


(Reporters Without Borders compiled this Index of 167 countries by asking its partner organizations (14 freedom-of-expression groups scattered across five continents) and its network of 130 correspondents — as well as journalists, researchers, legal experts and human rights activists — to answer 50 questions used to assess the status of press freedom in each country. Some countries were omitted due to a lack of information.)

North Korea once again ranks last in the Reporters Without Borders fourth annual World Press Freedom Index. On this 167-country list, North Korea is in last place, closely preceded by Eritrea (166th) and Turkmenistan (165th), the other “black holes” for news where the privately-owned media is non-existent and there is no freedom of expression.



(SNIP)



The situation in Iraq (157th) worsened in 2005 when the safety of journalists became even more precarious than in 2004. At least 24 journalists and media assistants have been killed so far this year, making it the mostly deadly conflict for the media since World War II — a conflict that proved more deadly for the media in a few months than during the entire Vietnam War. A total of 72 media workers have been killed since the fighting began in March 2003.



But a growing number of African and Latin American countries have earned very respectable rankings: Benin 25th, Namibia 25th, El Salvador 28th, Cape Verde 29th, Mauritius 34th, Mali 37th, Costa Rica 41st and Bolivia 45th.



Western Democracies Lose Ground

Some Western democracies slipped in the Index. The United States (44th) fell more than 20 places, mainly because of the imprisonment of New York Times reporter Judith Miller and judicial action that is undermining the privacy of journalistic sources. Federal courts are getting increasingly bold about subpoenaing journalists and trying to force them to disclose their confidential sources. Canada (21st) also dropped several places due to decisions that weakened source confidentiality, turning some journalists into “court auxiliaries.” France (30th) also slipped, mainly because of court-ordered searches of media offices, interrogations of journalists and the introduction of new press offenses.



Leading the Index once again are northern European countries Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands, where robust press freedom is alive and well. The top 10 are all European. The highest-ranking countries in other continents are New Zealand (12th), Trinidad and Tobago (12th), Benin (25th) and South Korea (34th).


MORE

http://www.counterpunch.org/barahona05172005.html

google rsf + NED, RSF + CIA and you'll find hundreds of links (mostly in French) that shows that RSF takes money from CIA front organisations (and doesn't deny it), is implicated in smearing Cuba and Chavez etc... etc...

Several mainstream media in France have taken up the story, and RSF is thus losing credibility.

latest J.Miller RSF article

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15178

:nuke: