Press freedom globally has declined to its lowest level in over a decade, a report conducted by American NGO Freedom House* has found examining legal, political and economic factors affecting the media in 197 countries.
To note that Ghana, Costa Rica, Suriname and Belize enjoy more Press Freedom than Italy.
Press Freedom 2014- the global picture
The project director for Freedom House, Karin Karleker, explains:
We see declines in media freedom on a global level, driven by governments’ efforts to control the message and punish the messenger. In every region of the world last year, we found both governments and private actors attacking reporters, blocking their physical access to newsworthy events, censoring content and ordering the politically motivated firing of journalists.
In 2013 we saw more cases of states targeting foreign reporters and media outlets. Russian and Chinese authorities declined to renew or threatened to withhold visas for prominent foreign correspondents, but the new Egyptian government went a step further by detaining a number of Al Jazeera staff on charges of supporting terrorism.
*Although, must be said, the American NGO Freedom House it is not considered absolutely impartial and free itself.
Source: The Guardian
Flaviano Tarducci 