IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE/ALERT - INTERNATIONAL

30 April 2004

Press freedom suffered substantial worldwide decline in 2003, says Freedom
House

SOURCE: Freedom House, New York

(Freedom House/IFEX) - The following is a 28 April 2004 Freedom House press
release:

GLOBAL PRESS FREEDOM DETERIORATES
Proportion of Global Population With Access to Free Media Plunges to New Low
Italy Drops to "Partly Free"

NEW YORK, April 28, 2004 -- Press freedom suffered a substantial worldwide
decline in 2003, according to a major study released today by Freedom House.

Legal harassment, political pressure, and violence by state and non-state
actors against journalists combined to worsen conditions in many countries,
resulting in the second consecutive year of a global decline in freedom for
news media.

The study, Freedom of the Press 2004: A Global Survey of Media Independence,
revealed that some of the most serious setbacks took place in countries
where democracy is backsliding, such as in Bolivia and Russia, and in older,
established democracies, most notably Italy.

The report was released in advance of World Press Freedom Day, which takes
place May 3.

Data from the report is available online at
www.freedomhouse.org/research/pressurvey.htm

The survey assesses the degree of print, broadcast, and Internet freedom in
every country in the world and assigns to each a category rating of Free,
Partly Free, or Not Free. It analyzes events during the calendar year 2003.

Global Trends

Overall, the study shows that ten countries-Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cape Verde,
Gabon, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Moldova, Morocco, and the
Philippines-declined in category, while only two countries-Kenya and Sierra
Leone-registered positive category shifts.

The Middle East/North Africa features the least media freedom, with 90% of
the region's countries rated Not Free.

Of the 193 countries surveyed (including the Israeli-Administered
Territories/Palestinian Authority), 73 (38%, representing 17% of the global
population) were rated Free, with no significant restrictions on the news
media; 49 (25%, 40%) were rated Partly Free and are characterized by some
media restrictions; and 71 (37%, 43%) were rated Not Free, with state
control or other obstacles to a free press.

The proportion of the world's population living in countries with free media
has declined by five percent over the last two years, while the number of
people living in not free media environments has increased by five percent.

"Fewer and fewer people throughout the world have uncensored and unfettered
access to information about their own countries," said Freedom House
Executive Director Jennifer Windsor. "Most distressing is that some of this
deterioration is taking place in democracies, where a free press is a
necessary component of vibrant democratic life."

In Italy, increased media concentration and subsequent political pressure
led to the downgrading of the country from Free to Partly Free.

"Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been able to exert undue influence
over the public broadcaster RAI," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, the survey's
managing editor. "This further exacerbates an already worrisome media
environment characterized by unbalanced coverage within Berlusconi's
enormous media empire."

Berlusconi's media holdings include Italy's three largest private television
stations.

Bright Spots

The most dramatic media opening of the year took place in Iraq, previously
ranked as one of the world's most repressive press environments.

With the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in April, hundreds of new
publications are covering a wide range of opinions. Iraqis were able to gain
unfettered access to the Internet and to uncensored foreign television
broadcasts. Nevertheless, a continuing lack of security, the murders of at
least 13 journalists, and an ambiguous legal and regulatory media framework
kept Iraq in the ranks of the Not Free countries despite its impressive
numerical gains, as noted in the survey's rating system.

Notable improvements took place in Sierra Leone, where increasing political
stability after the end of civil war has allowed journalists to operate much
more freely. The country moved from Not Free to Partly Free. In Kenya, the
media have demonstrated greater editorial independence and the number of
press freedom abuses have declined considerably under the new democratic
government. Kenya's status also improved from Not Free to Partly Free.

"Despite some specific recent improvements, and an overall upward trend
towards greater press freedom worldwide during the late 1990s, the last two
years have seen a dramatic deterioration," said Dr. Karlekar.
"State-directed intimidation and attempts to influence the media are being
perpetrated by governments that seem to be increasingly unwilling to
tolerate critical coverage."

Political, Economic, and Legal Pressure

In a number of countries, political turmoil and election-related violence
negatively impacted the press.

In Bolivia, the government and opposition supporters threatened and
physically harassed journalists, leading to a decline in that country's
rating to Partly Free. In Rwanda, officials denied all candidates equal
access to media coverage while using state-run media to lambaste the
opposition.

Other election-related intimidation of the press took place in Argentina,
Azerbaijan, Guatemala, and Guinea. Elections scheduled for 2004 prompted
campaigns against the independent media in Algeria, Cameroon, Tunisia, and
Ukraine, mostly in the form of increased legal harassment and pressure.

The survey noted growing political and economic influence over the media in
other countries. In Romania, for instance, the increasing use of lawsuits by
authorities against independent media outlets and a rise in attacks against
journalists led to a significant decline in the country's numerical rating.

In Bulgaria, which dropped to Partly Free, the government maintained its
control over state broadcasters and awarded advertising revenue to
pro-government media. In Gabon, the government orchestrated a clampdown on
private media, including revoking publishing licenses and suspending or
banning a number of private publications, leading to a ratings downgrade to
Not Free.

Conditions worsened in Russia, which was downgraded to Not Free in 2002. In
2003, the Kremlin consolidated its near total control over the broadcast
media. Authorities also used legislation and financial pressure to further
restrict critical coverage, particularly on sensitive topics such as the war
in Chechnya.

"Economic pressures can lead to an increase in self-censorship among
journalists," said Ms. Windsor. "Unfortunately these factors are often
overlooked when examining levels of press freedom."

In other countries, new legislation led to category downgrades, including in
Morocco, which regressed to Not Free after thirteen years at Partly Free. In
May, the government invoked Article 41 of new anti-terror legislation that
set stricter limits on and penalties for speech offenses.

Regional Trends

Americas: Of the 35 countries of the Americas, 17 (49%) are Free, 13 (37%)
are Partly Free, and 5 (14%) are Not Free. Although just under half the
countries in the region have media classified as Free, the negative regional
trends noted in 2002 continued, leading to the downgrading of Bolivia to
Partly Free and Guatemala to Not Free. During the past two years, the
percentage of countries whose media are classified as Free has declined from
60% to 49%, while the percentage of countries with Not Free media has
increased from 6% to 14%.

Asia Pacific: Of 39 Asian Pacific countries, 17 (44%) are rated Free, 8
(20%) are Partly Free, and 14 (36%) are Not Free. While the region exhibited
a relatively high level of press freedom, the Philippines, rated Free for
the past six years, slipped back into the ranks of Partly Free countries in
2003, largely as the result of a sustained high level of violence against
journalists. In Afghanistan, which saw the largest numerical improvement in
2002, media remain Not Free. Despite a continued expansion of independent
print and broadcast media outlets in 2003, journalists remain subject to
legal pressures as well as threats from political and military leaders. The
percentage of the population having access to Free media in the Asia Pacific
region was reduced to just 7% in 2003.

Central & Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union: Of the 27 countries of
Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, 8 (30%) are rated
Free, 8 (30%) are Partly Free, and 11 (40%) are Not Free. Declines
outweighed gains in 2003 as two countries--Bulgaria and Moldova--were
downgraded. Other than Georgia, the situation for the press in Central Asia
and the Caucasus remained deeply troubled. Of the former Soviet Union and
Soviet bloc countries that remain outside the expanded European Union, none
are Free, 3 are Partly Free, and 11 are Not Free.

Middle East & North Africa: Of the 19 Middle Eastern and North African
countries, only one (5%), Israel, is rated Free. One country (5%), Kuwait is
Partly Free, while 17 (90%) are Not Free. In 2003, Morocco slipped over the
cusp to Not Free, primarily as a result of restrictive anti-terrorist
legislation and a legal crackdown on critical media voices. The Middle East
is the only region with an average rating of Not Free.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Of 48 Sub-Saharan African countries, 7 (15%) are rated
Free, 17 (35%) are Partly Free and 24 (50%) are Not Free. The region showed
the greatest movement in 2003, with three countries declining in category
and two registering positive category shifts.

Western Europe: Of 25 Western European countries, 23 (92%) are rated Free
and two countries (8%), are Partly Free. While Western Europe continued to
boast the highest level of press freedom worldwide, Italy joined Turkey as
the only other country in the region rated Partly Free. It is the first time
since 1988 that the media in a Western European country (other than Turkey)
have been rated Partly Free.

Worst of the Worst

The five worst rated countries in press freedom in 2003 were Burma, Cuba,
Libya, North Korea, and Turkmenistan. In these states, independent media are
either nonexistent or barely able to operate, the role of the press is to
act as a mouthpiece for the ruling regime, and citizens' access to unbiased
information is severely limited.

After some hints of improvement in 2003, Cuban authorities in March cracked
down on the independent media when 27 journalists were arrested, tried, and
sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

Press freedom conditions remained dire in Zimbabwe, Eritrea, and Equatorial
Guinea, where authoritarian governments use legal pressure, imprisonment,
and other forms of harassment to severely curtail the ability of independent
media outlets to report freely.

For further information, contact Karin Deutch Karlekar or Michael Goldfarb
(ext. 12), Freedom House, 120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, U.S.A., tel:
+1 212 514 8040, fax: +1 212 514 8055, e-mail: [email protected],
Internet: http://www.freedomhouse.org/

The information contained in this press release/alert is the sole
responsibility of Freedom House. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit Freedom House.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622, fax: +1 416 515 7879 alerts e-mail: [email protected]
general e-mail: [email protected] Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________