Report: Media Freedoms Decline for 8th Straight Year
VOA News 29 April 2010

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A U.S.-based media advocacy group says press freedom declined around the world in 2009 for the eighth straight year.

In a report released Thursday, Freedom House says notable setbacks occurred in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

It says governments in China, Russia and Venezuela have been ”systematically encroaching” on the comparatively free environment of the Internet and new media. It says sophisticated techniques are being used to censor and block access to information, and monitor citizen activity.

The Washington-based group said Russia remained among the world´s ”more repressive and most dangerous media environments.” It says Iran registered the biggest decline of 2009 with its suppression of journalists following the disputed presidential election last year.

The 10 worst countries for press freedom were listed as Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The group says independent media in those countries are non-existent or barely able to operate.

According to the report, the Asia-Pacific region was the only part of the world to improve in media freedom last year. It also found that Israel made progress by lifting press restrictions imposed during its three-week Gaza offensive that ended early last year.



Fuente: VOA News

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