Academic

World Press Freedom Day

By firstamendmentblogger

Today is World Press Freedom Day, and the state of affairs is bleak.

Here are the sobering stats from the annual Freedom House report:    

• 2009 marked the seventh straight year in declining press freedom worldwide;
• over 80% of the world's inhabitants live in a country where the press is either "not free" or only "partly free" to operate; 
• Israel, Italy, and Hong Kong  fell off the "free" list because of threats to media independence and diversity; 
• the U.S. fell one spot to #18 for similar reasons;
• Iraq, six years after 'operation freedom,' is still "not free."

The U.S. is obviously well positioned relative to most other nation's on the list, but the absence of a federal reporters' shield statute leaves room for improvement.  It's worth nothing that as The Free Flow of Information Act makes it way to the Senate, UNESCO issued this statement on Thursday:

Journalists must be able to practice their profession without fear. They must move freely to collect facts and views, to disseminate news, to demand accountability from those in office, and to protect their sources. In turn, journalists must exercise the highest ethical and professional standards and conduct themselves in accord with general ethical principles.

-Kathleen Bergin

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on May 03, 2009 (boomark / email).