World Press Freedom Index, Compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Reflects Growing Animosity Towards Journalists

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: Hatred of journalism threatens democracies

The 2018 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), reflects growing animosity towards journalists. Hostility towards the media, openly encouraged by political leaders, and the efforts of authoritarian regimes to export their vision of journalism pose a threat to democracies.

The climate of hatred is steadily more visible in the Index, which evaluates the level of press freedom in 180 countries each year. Hostility towards the media from political leaders is no longer limited to authoritarian countries such as Turkey (down two at 157th) and Egypt (161st), where “media-phobia” is now so pronounced that journalists are routinely accused of terrorism and all those who don’t offer loyalty are arbitrarily imprisoned.

More and more democratically-elected leaders no longer see the media as part of democracy’s essential underpinning, but as an adversary to which they openly display their aversion. The United States, the country of the First Amendment, has fallen again in the Index under Donald Trump, this time two places to 45th. A media-bashing enthusiast, Trump has referred to reporters as “enemies of the people,” the term once used by Joseph Stalin.

The line separating verbal violence from physical violence is dissolving. In the Philippines (down six at 133rd), President Rodrigo Duterte not only constantly insults reporters but has also warned them that they “are not exempted from assassination.” In India (down two at 138th), hate speech targeting journalists is shared and amplified on social networks, often by troll armies in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pay. In each of these countries, at least four journalists were gunned down in cold blood in the space of a year.

Verbal violence from politicians against the media is also on the rise in Europe, although it is the region that respects press freedom most. In the Czech Republic (down 11 at 34th), President Milos Zeman turned up at a press conference with a fake Kalashnikov inscribed with the words “for journalists.” In Slovakia, (down ten at 27th), then Prime Minister Robert Fico called journalists “filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes” and “idiotic hyenas.” A Slovak reporter, Ján Kuciak, was shot dead in his home in February 2018, just four months after another European journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, was killed by a targeted car-bombing in Malta (down 18 at 65th). “The unleashing of hatred towards journalists is one of the worst threats to democracies,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “Political leaders who fuel loathing for reporters bear heavy responsibility because they undermine the concept of public debate based on facts instead of propaganda. To dispute the legitimacy of journalism today is to play with extremely dangerous political fire.”

Norway and North Korea, first and last again in 2018

In this year’s Index, Norway is first for the second year running, followed—as it was last year—by Sweden (2nd). Although traditionally respectful of press freedom, the Nordic countries have also been affected by the overall decline. Undermined by a case threatening the confidentiality of a journalist’s sources, Finland (down one at 4th) has fallen for the second year running, surrendering its third place to the Netherlands. At the other end of the Index, North Korea (180th) is still last.

The Index also reflects the growing influence of “strongmen” and rival models. After stifling independent voices at home, Vladimir Putin’s Russia (148th) is extending its propaganda network by means of media outlets such as RT and Sputnik, while Xi Jinping’s China (176th) is exporting its tightly controlled news and information model in Asia. Their relentless suppression of criticism and dissent provides support to other countries near the bottom of the Index such as Vietnam (175th), Turkmenistan (178th) and Azerbaijan (163rd).

When it’s not despots, it’s war that helps turn countries into news and information black holes—countries such as Iraq (down two at 160th), which this year joined those at the very bottom of the Index where the situation is classified as “very bad.” There have never been so many countries that are coloured black on the press freedom map.

Breakdown of countries by their situation Colour distribution in 2018

Good (white) Fairly good (yellow) Problematic (orange) Bad (red) Very bad (black)

Regional indicators worsening

It’s in Europe, the region where press freedom is the safest, that the regional indicator has worsened most this year. Four of this year’s five biggest falls in the Index are those of European countries: Malta (down 18 at 65th), Czech Republic (down 11 at 34th), Serbia (down ten at 76th) and Slovakia (down ten at 27th). The European model’s slow erosion is continuing (see our regional analysis: Journalists are murdered in Europe as well).

Regional indicators

Score

Year

REGION: Africa Eastern Europe/Central Asia

Americas Middle East/North Africa

Asia-Pacific EU/Balkans

Ranked second (but more than ten points worse than Europe), the Americas contain a wide range of situations (see our regional analyses US falls as Canada rises and Mixed performance in Latin America). Violence and impunity continue to feed fear and self- censorship in Central America. Mexico (147th) became the world’s second deadliest country for journalists in 2017 with 11 killed. Thanks to President’s Maduro’s increasingly authoritarian excesses, Venezuela (143rd) dropped six places, the region’s biggest fall. On the other hand, Ecuador (92nd) jumped 13 places, the hemisphere’s greatest rise, because tension between the authorities and privately-owned media abated. In North America, Donald Trump’s USA slipped another two places while Justin Trudeau’s Canada rose four and entered the top 20 at 18th place, a level where the situation is classified as “fairly good.”

Africa came next, with a score that is slightly better than in 2017 but also contained a wide range of internal variation (see our regional analysis The dangers of reporting in Africa). Frequent Internet cuts, especially in Cameroon (129th) and Democratic Republic of Congo (154th), combined with frequent attacks and arrests are the region’s latest forms of censorship. Mauritania (72nd) suffered the region’s biggest fall (17 places) after adopting a law under which blasphemy and apostasy are punishable by death even if the accused repents. But a more promising era for journalists may result from the departure of three of Africa’s most predatory presidents, in Zimbabwe (up two as 126th), Angola (up four at 121st) and Gambia, whose 21-place jump to 122nd was Africa’s biggest.

In the Asia-Pacific region, still ranked fourth in the Index, South Korea jumped 20 places to 43rd, the Index’s second biggest rise, after Moon Jae-In’s election as president turned the page on a bad decade for press freedom. North Asia’s democracies are struggling to defend their models against an all-powerful China that shamelessly exports its methods for silencing all criticism. Cambodia (142nd) seems dangerously inclined to take the same path as China after closing dozens of independent media outlets and plunging ten places, one of the biggest falls in the region (see our regional analysis Asia-Pacific democracies threatened by China’s media control model).

The former Soviet countries and Turkey continue to lead the worldwide decline in press freedom (see our regional analysis Historic decline in press freedom in ex-Soviet states, Turkey). Almost two-thirds of the region’s countries are ranked somewhere near or below the 150th position in the Index and most are continuing to fall. They include Kyrgyzstan (98th), which registered one of the Index’s biggest falls (nine places) after a year with a great deal of harassment of the media including astronomic fines for “insulting the head of state.” In light of such a wretched performance, it is no surprise that the region’s overall indicator is close to reaching that of the Middle East/North Africa.

According to the indicators used to measure the year-by-year changes, it is the Middle East/North Africa region that has registered the biggest decline in media freedom (see our regional analyses Middle East riven by conflicts, political clashes and Journalism sorely tested in North Africa). The continuing wars in Syria (117th) and Yemen (down one at 167th) and the terrorism charges still being used in Egypt (161st), Saudi Arabia (down one at 169th) and Bahrain (down two at 166th) continue to make this the most difficult and dangerous region for journalists to operate

Published annually by RSF since 2002, the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries, including the level of pluralism, media independence, the environment and self-censorship, the legal framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information. It does not evaluate government policy.

The global indicator and the regional indicators are calculated on the basis of the scores assigned to each country. These country scores are calculated from answers to a questionnaire in 20 languages that is completed by experts around the world, supported by a qualitative analysis. The scores and indicators measure constraints and violations, so the higher the figure, the worse the situation. Because of growing awareness of the Index, it is an extremely useful advocacy tool.

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: US falls as Canada rises

Despite having strong constitutional protections to the contrary, the latest World Press Freedom Index findings on the US and Canada reveal two countries whose journalists and media workers face constant challenges to the very freedom to exercise their profession.

The United States’ ranking fell from 43rd to 45th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) 2018 World Press Freedom Index, continuing its downward trend in the first year of Donald J. Trump’s presidency. In contrast, its northern neighbor Canada gained four places due to steps taken to safeguard the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.

Donald Trump furthers First Amendment decline

In 2017, the 45th President of the United States helped sink the country to 45th place by labeling the press an “enemy of the American people” in a series of verbal attacks toward journalists, attempts to block White House access to multiple media outlets, routine use of the term “fake news” in retaliation for critical reporting, and calling for media outlets’ broadcasting licenses to be revoked. President Trump has routinely singled out news outlets and individual journalists for their coverage of him, and retweeted several violent memes targeting CNN.

The violent anti-press rhetoric from the White House has been coupled with an increase in the number of press freedom violations at the local level as journalists run the risk of arrest for covering protests or simply attempting to ask public officials questions. Reporters have even been subject to physical assault while on the job.

Press freedom violations in the country of the First Amendment in fact have become so frequent of late that RSF joined a coalition of more than two dozen press freedom organizations to launch the US Press Freedom Tracker in August, which documented 34 arrests of journalists in 2017, the majority while covering protests (find out more on the tracker).

However, the Trump effect has only served to amplify the disappointing press freedom climate that predated his presidency. Whistleblowers face prosecution under the Espionage Act if they leak information of public interest to the press, while there is still no federal “shield law” guaranteeing reporters’ right to protect their sources. Journalists and their devices continue to be searched at the US border, while some foreign journalists are still denied entry into the US after covering sensitive topics like Colombia’s FARC or Kurdistan.

The US’ decline in press freedom is not simply bad news for journalists working inside the country; the downward trend has drastic consequences at the international level. “Fake news” is now a trademark excuse for media repression, in both democratic and authoritarian regimes. Democratic governments from several countries in the Organisation of East Caribbean States (OECS) have adopted Trump’s favorite phrase when criticizing the work of journalists. Given that criminal defamation still remains on the books in many Caribbean countries, the spread of Trump’s anti-media rhetoric could have very serious consequences for the local press.

Canada back in top 20, but concerns remain

In 2016, the outlook for Canada’s press freedom was bleak, as various branches of government seemed to blatantly disregard the fundamental principle that journalists’ sources must remain confidential. In 2017 this trend continued, and then some: criminal and civil charges were brought against The Independent’s Justin Brake after he covered environmental protests, and the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a production order against VICE News’ Ben Makuch, compelling him to hand over communications with a source to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Yet governmental bodies at both the provincial and the federal level responded with concrete action to right the course. A federal press “shield law,” the Journalistic Source Protection Act, was adopted unanimously in October 2017 by Canada’s parliament, and two months later, a Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating Quebec police surveillance of journalists recommended Quebec adopt legislation to better protect journalistic sources. These improvements are the cause of Canada’s four point gain in 2017.

Despite this progress, the fact remains that Canada has much work to accomplish ahead. Ben Makuch will defend the confidentiality of his conversations with a source before the Supreme Court of Canada in May. Justin Brake is still facing charges, and it remains to be seen how the new “shield law” will be implemented as Radio-Canada investigative reporter Marie-Maude Denis was ordered in March to reveal her sources in Quebec Superior Court.

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PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: Mixed performance in Latin America

The 2018 Index shows a slight overall improvement in respect for press freedom in Latin America but this should not divert attention from the continuing problems of violence, impunity, and authoritarian policies towards journalists in many Latin American countries.

With enlightened media legislation and journalists enjoying a relatively high level of freedom, Costa Rica (10th) continues to be Latin America’s best ranked country in 2018. It nonetheless fell four places due to the harassment of journalists by the authorities, especially during the presidential campaign that began in late 2017.

Strongmen still in power

At the other end of the spectrum, Cuba (unchanged at 172nd) continues year after year to be the Western Hemisphere’s worst ranked country. The Castro family-led regime maintained its monopoly on news and information. Raúl Castro’s police and intelligence services silenced dissent and persecuted privately-owned media outlets (which are not permitted by the constitution). Journalists and bloggers are often arrested or opt for self- imposed exile.

Venezuela’s six-place fall to 143rd in the 2018 Index was the most significant decline in Latin America. The authoritarian excesses of President Nicolás Maduro and his government continued to grow in 2017. Independent and opposition media and foreign reporters are constantly targeted by the Bolivarian police and intelligence services in an attempt to minimize coverage of the grave political and economic crisis that began in early 2016.

Attacks on reporters during protests, arbitrary arrests (often followed by heavy-handed interrogation), destruction of equipment, and deportations of foreign journalists all continued in 2017. State censorship increased. CONATEL, the telecommunications regulator, stripped many critical TV and radio stations of their broadcast frequencies while opposition print media were badly hit by orchestrated newsprint shortages.

In Bolivia (down four at 110th), cash-strapped media have to fight for survival and the critical ones are harassed by the government that Evo Morales has led since 2006. Its members attack opposition journalists verbally and prosecute them with the aim of reducing them to silence. Their targets have included Wilson García Mérida, charged with sedition, and Yadira Peláez Imanereico, who is accused of “political violence.”

Unable to contain spiralling violence and impunity

In Central America and Mexico, violence and impunity maintain a reign of fear and self- censorship. In Salvador (66th), Guatemala (116th), Honduras (141st) and Mexico (147th), investigative reporters, especially those covering organized crime and corruption, are systematically subjected to threats, intimidation, and physical violence. Those that refuse or are unable to relocate in the face of imminent danger often pay with their lives. One journalist was killed in Honduras in 2017 and 11 were killed in Mexico, which became the world’s second deadliest country for the media last year, surpassed only by Syria. The murders of two veteran journalists who covered collusion between organized crime and politicians – Miroslava Breach in Chihuahua state and Javier Valdez in Sinaloa state – sent shockwaves through both Mexico and the international community.

In these countries corrupted by trafficking in arms and drugs, governments have yet again proven powerless to rein in the violence. Where specific mechanisms for protecting journalists exist, as in Honduras and Mexico, they have proved ineffective in dealing with the appalling security conditions of poorly-paid journalists, especially those working for local, independent media outlets.

Also mired in corruption and violence, Brazil (up one place at 102nd) has again failed to rise above the 100th mark in the Index. In an extremely tense and polarized political environment, highlighted by President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment and removal in 2016, the Brazilian authorities have yet to prioritize press freedom.

Attacks against reporters have fallen slightly but are still frequent, especially at demonstrations. Journalists are often subjected to intimidation or abusive judicial proceedings when they try to cover the interests of politicians and elected officials. Their vulnerability is especially noticeable in areas far from the major cities, where independent and community media lack public support and struggle to survive.

Inadequate progress after government change

Ecuador’s 13-place rise to 92nd – the Western Hemisphere’s biggest this year – is due in part to Lenin Moreno’s election as president in May 2017, which has defused tension between the government and privately-owned media after Rafael Correa’s three consecutive terms as president (2007 to 2017). During his decade in office, Correa kept a tight grip on the media agenda and did not hesitate to personally and publicly target critical independent media outlets, leading to repeated conflicts and judicial clashes.

In Argentina (down two at 52nd), the war between government and media that marked the Kirchner years has eased since Mauricio Macri became president in December 2015. But the situation is still worrying two years later and media outlets deemed overly critical are often the targets of civil defamation suits. Several reporters were targeted and physically attacked by police during major street protests in 2017.

Colombia (down one at 130th) has only partially fulfilled the hopes raised by the signing of historic peace accords between the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in December 2016. It continues to be one of the Western Hemisphere’s most dangerous countries for the media. Abduction and physical violence are still common. Armed groups such as the ELN combat attempts by alternative or community media to cover their activities, leading to the creation of information “black holes,” especially in rural areas.

The presidential elections that are due to be held in 2018 in some of the region’s worst ranked countries – Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil – could change the dynamic and create space for better relations between governments and journalists.

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PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554

Press Release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: Journalism sorely tested in North Africa

North Africa’s performance in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index reflects the different pressures to which journalists are exposed. Restrictive laws, reporting problems (especially at protests), and subjects that are off limits all prevent journalists from being free to provide independently reported and pluralist news and information.

Tunisia (97th), Morocco (135th), Algeria (136th) and Libya (167th) are part of the region (Middle East/North Africa) with the world’s lowest overall level of respect for press freedom. Tunisia has not moved in the Index, Morocco and Algeria have both fallen two places in the past year, while Libya, the worst-ranked of the four, has actually risen one place. But this rise is deceptive and is due in part to declines in other countries near the bottom of the Index, and in part to a fall in the number of violations after the exodus of so many journalists from what is now a very dangerous country.

The overall trend in North Africa in recent years reflects a clear desire on the part of its leaders to control the media and target journalists who dare to cover forbidden subjects such as corruption, tax fraud, influential lobbies, and sometimes even demonstrations.

Obstacles to reporting

The “Hirak” protest movement in northern Morocco’s Rif region exposed the difficulties that both Moroccan and foreign reporters encounter when trying to cover streets protests or other taboo subjects in Morocco. According to RSF’s tally, 14 journalists and citizen- journalists were arrested in the crackdown on media coverage of the protests from May to July 2017 and several foreign journalists were deported.

Similarly, in Tunisia, both Tunisian and foreign journalists were subjected to administrative and police harassment, especially in connection with the coverage of protests. Radio reporter Hamdi Souissi was covering a protest in Sfax in September when he was assaulted by policemen who inflicted injuries to his face and shoulder, interrogated him for two hours at a police station, and confiscated his equipment.

Reporting is particularly risky in Libya, now one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media personnel. Journalists and media outlets are the leading victims of the information war waged by the various parties to the country’s armed conflicts. Since the start of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, RSF has tallied a total of 332 acts of violence and abuses against journalists and citizen-journalists in Libya, most of which have gone unpunished. No steps have been taken by any of the various authorities to improve the safety of media personnel and self-imposed exile is often the only option for those who want to continue working as journalists.

Algeria has many red lines for journalists and the mere mention of subjects such as corruption or the president’s health can lead to threats, online harassment, or arrest. As well as prosecuting media outlets, the Algerian authorities also use political and financial pressure. Hadda Hazem, the editor of the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Fadjr, went on hunger strike in mid-November, accusing the government of inflicting an “orchestrated death” on her newspaper by depriving it of all state advertising. This was one of the main sources of income for the Algerian media since October.

Restrictive legislation

Legislative reforms that are supposed to guarantee the freedom to inform have been initiated in some of the region’s countries but yet have to be finalized. In Tunisia, the broadcast media bill that the government submitted to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People in December was disappointing because it lacks guarantees regarding the independence and powers of future regulatory authorities. Several national and international NGOs, including RSF, called for the bill’s withdrawal.

Legislative progress is also inadequate in Libya. The draft constitution proposed in July 2017 falls short of international standards for protecting freedom of the press and expression. It neither provides enough guarantees for the right of access to information nor enough protection for media independence.

In Algeria, the criminal code adopted in 2016 is applied arbitrarily to journalists in violation of constitutional provisions guaranteeing press freedom. Provisions for prison sentences were removed from Morocco’s press law but it still specifically provides for application of the criminal code and terrorism law to journalists.

Because legislation provides journalists in North Africa with insufficient protection, or even poses a threat to them, they face the possibility of prison sentences as soon as their reporting starts to aggravate the authorities.

Journalists in prison

Journalists still receive prison sentences in both Morocco and Algeria. Hamid El Mahdaoui, the editor of the Moroccan news website Badil.info, has been held since July 2017. Arrested while covering the protests in Al-Hoceïma in the Rif region, he was initially sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams, but an appeal court in Al-Hoceïma upped his sentence in September to a year in prison. He and four other detained journalists and citizen-journalists and three media workers are also defendants in a Rif protests mass trial in which some 50 hearings have so far been held.

Saïd Chitour, a journalist arrested in Algeria in June 2017 on suspicion of spying and selling classified documents to foreign diplomats, is still awaiting trial and, according to RSF’s information, his state of health is extremely worrying.

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PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: The dangers of reporting in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has maintained its third place in the ranking by geographical region, with a slightly better overall indicator than in 2017. But there is a wide range of situations within the region, and journalists are often the victims of intimidation, physical violence, and arrest.

Namibia (26th), which has yet to adopt a promised law on access to information, has surrendered the title of best-ranked African country to Ghana (23rd). At the other end of the Index, Africa still has many news and information black holes. Press freedom is non- existent in Eritrea (second from last at 179th), Djibouti (173rd), Burundi (159th) and Somalia (168th), where four journalists were killed in terrorist attacks in 2017.

Reporting difficulties

Investigative reporting is very risky for journalists in Africa. This is the case, for example, in Tanzania (down ten places at 93rd, one of this year’s biggest falls), where President John Magufuli tolerates no criticism. A popular news forum’s founder was summoned to court dozens of times in the space of a year to name his sources, while a reporter who was investigating a series of murders of local officials went missing in November 2017.

In Madagascar (54th), a journalist was given a jail sentence (albeit suspended) for the first time in 40 years as a result of investigative reporting that exposed corruption. In Swaziland (152nd), a newspaper editor had to flee to South Africa after questioning a decision to award a licence to a local mobile phone company.

In Democratic Republic of Congo (154th), Journalist in Danger (JED), RSF’s partner organization, documented 121 cases of abuses against the media in 2017. Attacks, arbitrary arrests, and media closures constitute an organized system for preventing journalists from covering the Congolese regime’s dangerous authoritarianism.

Covering street protests is a delicate exercise in many African countries. In Togo (86th), the authorities withdrew the accreditation of an international TV broadcaster’s correspondent after she covered opposition protests. In Guinea (down three places at 104th), the president’s direct threats to close media outlets that interviewed a union leader helped create a climate of hostility towards the media. Radio stations were closed while journalists were sometimes targeted by protesters.

In response to threats and attacks on reporters during demonstrations in Chad (123rd), the country’s journalists staged a “Day without Press” protest in February 2018. Sudan (still near the bottom of the Index at 174th) continues to be one of the continent’s riskiest places for street reporting. In January 2018, 18 journalists were arrested and several media outlets were shut down amid protests against a bread price increase. In neighbouring South Sudan (144th), it has become almost impossible to cover the four- year-old civil war. In 2017, 20 foreign journalists were banned from the country and a freelance war reporter was fatally shot during conflict in the south.

Internet cuts or restrictions on access to online social networks are now widely used in Africa as censorship tools to gag dissent and prevent coverage of unrest within a sector of the population. They are systematically imposed on the eve of every street protest in Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Cameroon (129th), an unprecedented complaint was filed against the government before its own Constitutional Council after it disconnected the Internet for several months in two English-speaking regions that were protesting against discrimination. After falling ten places in 2016, Uganda has fallen another five places to 117th, in part because it created a special security unit to closely monitor websites and social networks.

Some subjects still off limits

In a disturbing trend, journalists are encountering growing difficulties when covering subjects with national security ramifications. This is the case in Nigeria (119th) and Mali (115th), where journalists are often harassed by the authorities. They are accused of undermining troop morale when they refer to the difficulties of the security forces in combatting terrorism.

The Cameroonian journalist Ahmed Abba was released in December 2017 after being held for 29 months for covering the activities of the Jihadi armed group Boko Haram. In Côte d’Ivoire (82nd), the authorities detained eight journalists in order to ask them to name their sources for articles about sizeable army mutinies in 2017.

Mauritania (whose 17 place fall to 72nd was Africa’s largest decline) has passed a law making apostasy and blasphemy punishable by death even when the offender repents. The blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed is still detained despite having completed a two-year jail sentence for “heresy.” Slavery, which still exists in Mauritania although now illegal, is a highly sensitive subject that sometimes gets foreign reporters expelled.

A recent RSF report highlighted the fact that journalists who cover stories involving women’s rights or gender issues often suffer severe reprisals. In Somalia, journalists who interview rape victims are liable to be jailed on defamation charges. In Uganda, a journalist was abducted and beaten after pointing out that the president had not kept his promise to distribute tampons in schools.

More generally, any reporting critical of the authorities tends to get a poor reception in sub-Saharan Africa, as seen in the one-year jail sentence passed on appeal on Baba Alpha, a TV journalist in Niger (down two places at 63rd) who has a reputation for drawing attention to bad government practices. After completing his sentence, he was recently expelled to neighbouring Mali as a "threat to internal state security."

Restrictive laws

The new media laws adopted during the past year did not encourage more journalistic freedom and independence. The anticipated decriminalization of press offences in Senegal (up eight places at 50th), was not included in the new press code adopted in June 2017.

There are no longer any grounds for detaining journalists in the new media law approved by Côte d’Ivoire’s national assembly, but journalists can still be the subject of prosecutions for insulting the president or for defamation. Terrorism laws are often used to arrest journalists in Ethiopia (150th) and Nigeria (119th).

The only good news in this domain came from Malawi (whose six-place rise to 64th was Africa’s second biggest) with the promulgation of a law facilitating access to information about elected officials and government institutions, 12 years after it began being debated.

Promising regime change?

The departure of some of the continent’s worst press freedom predators could open the way to a new era for journalism in the countries concerned.

In Gambia (which soared 21 places to 122nd), the new president has promised a less restrictive media law and the inclusion of free speech in the constitution. In Zimbabwe (up two places at 126th), Robert Mugabe’s successor, his former right-hand man, has also promised reforms and a “new democracy” in a country with especially draconian media laws.

The prospect of finally seeing the birth of free and independent journalism in Angola (up four places at 121st) is more uncertain. Joao Lourenço’s installation as president after 38 years of rule by the Dos Santos clan has not yet lead to any significant improvement in media freedom.

In these three countries, the promises made after the installation of new leaders needs to be translated quickly into concrete measures that finally allow the freedom to inform. ______

PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: Middle East riven by conflicts, political clashes

The Middle East’s countries are yet again at the bottom of RSF’s World Press Freedom Index. Armed conflicts, terrorism charges against independent journalists and media, and growing online surveillance and censorship make reporting extremely dangerous for the region’s journalists.

Conflicts, both armed and political, continue to be the leading threat to the region’s journalists. When they are not the victims of artillery bombardment, air strikes, sniper fire, forgotten mines or abduction, journalists are accused of being active participants in the region’s diplomatic crises.

With 13 journalists killed in 2017 and more than 20 journalists and citizen-journalists currently held hostage, Syria (no change at 177th) is still the world’s most dangerous country for the media and holder of the Middle East’s lowest ranking in the Index. Its journalists continue to flee abroad and vast areas have become black holes from which no news emerges.

Yemen (167th) is also mired in a civil (and international) war. The security situation for journalists is now very bad and they are widely regarded with suspicion, either as propagandists for the Houthi rebels or as servants of the government that is recognized internationally or of its backers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. As a result, they are exposed to the possibility of being attacked, arrested, imprisoned or killed by any of the various parties to the war waged since 2014.

Journalists suffer a similar fate in Iraq (down two at 160th), where they are caught between the rival factions in open conflict that also wage an information war. Many media have been forced to close and reporters have been physically attacked. Some claim to have been targeted by politicians and armed groups involved in corruption. Journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan were badly affected by tension linked to the independence referendum or to protests.

The governments of Saudi Arabia (169th), United Arab Emirates (128th), Bahrain (166th) and Egypt (161st) jointly imposed a diplomatic and economic embargo on Qatar (125th) in mid-2017. Their demands included the closure of the Qatari TV news broadcaster Al Jazeera on the grounds that its allegedly biased coverage of the Arab Spring has been fuelling hostility towards them for years. Many non-Qatari Gulf journalists were meanwhile harassed and some were forced to resign from Qatari TV channels for which they had worked for years or even decades.

Terrorism accusations

In Egypt, as in many other countries in the region, the fight against terrorism has become the regime’s key weapon for cracking down on journalists. All independent media and journalists are exposed to the possibility of terrorism charges. At least 30 journalists are currently imprisoned in Egypt in connection with their reporting. What they are actually accused of doing is often vague. They are usually just charged with belonging to a terrorist group or spreading false news. For this, some have been detained provisionally for the past two years. The photojournalist known as Shawkan has been in prison since 2013 and is now one of more than 700 defendants in a mass trial for whom prosecutors have just requested the death penalty.

In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s talk of reform has not translated into any improvement in respect for press freedom. Dozens of activists, government opponents and journalists were arrested in 2017.

In Israel (87th), the fight against terrorism is often used as grounds to bully journalists. Again in 2017, the suspicion of working for TV channels linked to Hamas was sufficient for the Israeli military to close news agencies or arrest journalists such as Amir Abou Aram and Alaa Al Titi, who were detained administratively for two months at the end of 2017.

Bahrain (166th) also uses this pretext to continue holding journalists who reported information that the authorities would have preferred to suppress. They include Ahmed el-Mousawi, a photographer who covered opposition protests and who is serving a ten- year jail term for allegedly “distributing SIM cards” to “persons implicated in terrorist acts.” They also include Nabeel Rajab, a blogger and human rights defender who was sentenced to five years in prison in February 2018 for tweets in 2015 criticizing torture in Bahrain and the Arab coalition’s intervention in Yemen.

Cyber-crime laws

In this particularly hostile environment for journalists, the Internet has been the only space where a relative freedom to inform still exists. But the region’s governments have realized this and, one by one, have been adopting cyber-crime laws in order to gag online journalists and citizen-journalists.

In the United Arab Emirates (down nine places at 128th), new legislation allowed the authorities to arrest the citizen-journalist Ahmed Mansoor and hold him incommunicado on a charge of posting “false information, rumours and lies” liable to damage the UAE’s reputation.

Citizen-journalists in Iran (164th) are also finding it harder and harder to escape censorship. The regime fears freely reported news and information, regarding it as attempted “subversion.” As the traditional media are under close control, citizen- journalists on social networks are nowadays at the heart of the fight for information freedom and political change in Iran. However, trying to frustrate the regime’s desire to maintain a blackout on information is not without risk. Iran continues to be one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists and citizen-journalists with around 20 currently detained.

Some countries censor the Internet without waiting for the relevant laws to be promulgated. In Palestine (134th), the Palestinian Authority blocked several news websites in June 2017, before the cyber-crime law was promulgated in July. Egypt is currently discussing a law on electronic crimes, but it already began blocking more than 500 websites in mid-2017. They include dozens of news sites and the sites of local and international NGOs such as RSF.

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PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: Asia-Pacific democracies threatened by China’s media control model

The Chinese model of state-controlled news and information is being copied in other Asian countries, especially Vietnam and Cambodia. Northern Asia’s democracies are struggling to establish themselves as alternative models. Violence against journalists is increasingly worrying in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

The Asia-Pacific region still has the world’s worst violator of the freedom to inform: North Korea (180th). The recent widespread adoption of smartphones in North Korea has unfortunately been accompanied by draconian control of communications and the national intranet. The state news agency KCNA is the only authorized source of news for all of the country’s media. Just reading, viewing, or listening to a foreign media outlet can lead to a spell in a concentration camp.

More censorship and surveillance in China

Unchanged at 176th in the Index, Xi Jinping’s China is getting closer and closer to a contemporary version of totalitarianism. During President Xi’s first term, censorship and surveillance reached unprecedented levels thanks to the massive use of new technology. Foreign reporters are finding it harder to work and ordinary citizens can now be jailed just for sharing content on a social network or during a private chat on a messaging service.

More than 50 professional and non-professional journalists are currently detained in China, many of them the victims of mistreatment and a lack of medical care that poses a threat to their lives. Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel peace laureate and recipient of RSF’s Press Freedom Prize, and the dissident blogger Yang Tongyan both died last year from cancers that were left untreated in detention.

Internationally, the Chinese government is trying to establish a “new world media order” under its influence by exporting its oppressive methods, information censorship system, and Internet surveillance tools. Its unabashed desire to crush all pockets of public resistance unfortunately has imitators in Asia.

Under Chinese influence

This is particularly so with Vietnam, which at 175th is just one place above China in the Index. Its traditional media are completely controlled, but citizen-journalists defend the freedom to inform with great courage—and the government’s response has been merciless. Bloggers used to be sentenced to two years in prison, but now those who blog about banned subjects such as corruption or environmental disasters can expect a 15- year jail term.

Cambodia, another country that seems to be taking the dangerous Chinese road, has fallen ten places in the Index to 142nd, one of the biggest falls in the region. Prime Minister Hun Sen’s regime launched a ruthless offensive against media freedom in 2017, shutting down more than 30 independent media outlets and jailing several journalists in a completely arbitrary manner.

His suppression of independent voices, his increased dominance of the mass media and his meticulous control of social media are a disturbing echo of the methods used in China, which has invested millions of euros in Cambodia’s pro-government media. The Chinese model’s influence reverberates through the media in Thailand (140th), Malaysia (145th), and Singapore (151st).

Hate speech

The other fall in the region that speaks volumes is Myanmar’s (down six places at 137th). In the past year, the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has lost all credibility in regards to its obligation to defend the role of the media in a functioning democracy.

The worst violations took place after the start of the Rohingya crisis in August 2017. The international community now knows that “elements of genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” occurred, to use the UN’s terms. But proper reporting on this tragedy from within Myanmar is still impossible because the military continue to deny access. Two Reuters reporters who tried to investigate are still in prison.

Myanmar’s coverage of the Rohingya crisis has been marked by the growth of hate messages on social networks, especially Facebook. Any journalist who does not fall in with the prevailing anti-Muslim discourse is subject to violent verbal harassment by Buddhist extremists. This has done much to encourage self-censorship within the media.

Leaders hostile to press freedom

Hate speech is also an issue in the continent’s other giant, India, which has fallen another two places to 138th. Ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, Hindu fundamentalists have been referring to journalists in extremely violent terms.

Any investigative reporting that aggravates the ruling party or any criticism of Hindutva, an ideology that blends Hindu nationalism with an almost fascistic rhetoric, elicits a torrent of online insults and calls for the death of the reporter or writer responsible, most of it coming from the prime minister’s troll army.

This unbridled verbal violence serves to support a leader who asserts himself as a strongman—a leader whose authority does not tolerate being undermined by reporters or editorialists.

As elsewhere in the world in 2017, this verbal violence has tragically led to physical violence. The newspaper editor Gauri Lankesh was gunned down outside her home in September after being the target of hate speech and death threats for criticizing Hindu supremacy, the caste system, and discrimination against women.

The physical violence against journalists is largely responsible for India’s low ranking. At least three journalists were murdered in connection with their work. More were killed in circumstances that were unclear, as is often the case in rural areas where reporters are poorly paid. The situation in the Kashmir Valley, a news black hole, contributed to the poor ranking of a country whose long tradition of vibrant media could nonetheless enable it to rise again in the Index.

In the Philippines, down six places at 133rd, the dynamism of the media has also been checked by the emergence of a leader who wants to show he is all-powerful. President Rodrigo Duterte lost no time in warning the “sons of whore journalists” that they would not be spared.

There have been countless examples of Philippine government harassment of media that voice any kind of criticism of Duterte’s “war on drugs.” Here again, verbal violence and physical violence are closely linked. With four journalists murdered in connection to their work in 2017, the Philippines is one of the continent’s deadliest countries.

Physical violence

The high level of violence to which reporters are exposed in Pakistan (139th) accounts for its failure to rise in the Index. With death threats, abduction, and torture, journalists are still threatened by both Islamic fundamentalists on the one hand and by the all- powerful intelligence services on the other.

Violence is even more worrying in neighbouring Afghanistan (118th), where 18 journalists and media workers were killed in 2017. It nonetheless rose two places in the Index above all because of an improvement in the legal environment with the creation of coordinating committees for the safety of journalists and media. These committees handled around 100 cases in the past year, and in some cases sanctions were imposed on senior civilian and military officials.

Similarly, the efforts undertaken in Sri Lanka to combat physical attacks against media personnel and impunity for acts of violence against journalists account for its ten place rise in the Index to 131st.

Democracies that resist

Despite an overall improvement in the media environment in Mongolia, pressure on the media during the presidential election accounts for its slight fall (down two places at 71st). Japan’s rise (up five places at 67th) reflects a relative easing in pressure on the media from Shinzo Abe’s nationalist government, although journalists are still constrained by the weight of tradition and business interests.

Hong Kong (70th) and Taiwan (42nd) each rose three places, resisting China’s growing influence in their different ways.

South Korea (up 20 places at 43rd) rose more than any other country in the Asia-Pacific region. After a terrible decade, the new president, Moon Jae-in, has brought a breath of fresh air that helped resolve a conflict between journalists and management at the public broadcasting service. Structural problems still need addressing, including decriminalizing defamation and repealing a national security law that continues to threaten journalists.

Near the top of the Index, Australia has not budged from 19th place, above all because media ownership continues to be highly concentrated. Simple legal safeguards would nonetheless have allowed it to rise a few places.

This was the case in New Zealand, which is up five places at 8th. The authorities blocked a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest media groups, thereby providing media pluralism and independence with new guarantees. At the same time, investigative reporting should soon be strengthened by a law protecting whistleblowers— a good example to follow.

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PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 – 12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: Historic decline in press freedom in ex-Soviet states, Turkey

The former Soviet countries and Turkey continue to be at the forefront of the worldwide decline in press freedom. Almost two-thirds of the region’s countries are ranked somewhere near or below the 150th position in the Index. The region’s overall indicator has sunk almost as low as that of the Middle East/North Africa, the last in the rankings by region.

Press freedom in Russia and Turkey has sunk to levels that are without precedent in more than three decades, a decline that is all the more worrying because of the influence that these two countries exert on the surrounding region.

The world’s biggest prison for professional journalists, Turkey (157th) has managed to fall another two places in the past year, which saw a succession of mass trials. After more than a year in provisional detention, dozens of journalists have begun to be tried for alleged complicity in the July 2016 coup attempt. The first sentences to be handed down have included life imprisonment. The state of emergency in effect for nearly two years in Turkey has allowed the authorities to eradicate what was left of pluralism, opening the way for a constitutional reform consolidating President Erdogan’s grip on the country. The rule of law is now just a fading memory, as confirmed by the failure to carry out a constitutional court ruling in January 2018 ordering the immediate release of two imprisoned journalists.

Russia’s ranking is unchanged at 148th only because of the overall decline in press freedom worldwide. Russia’s negative factors score has risen yet again, as it has steadily in recent years. More journalists and bloggers are detained now in Russia than at any other time since the Soviet Union’s fall. With the leading media already largely controlled by oligarchs “loyal” to the Kremlin, the pressure is now growing on independent media and investigative journalists.

In response to an increase in protests and in the run-up to the 2018 presidential election, the Russian authorities tightened their grip on the Internet, harassing instant messaging services and imposing a new legislative straitjacket on search engines and tools for circumventing censorship. The climate of impunity encourages more physical attacks on journalists and makes the threats received by independent media outlets all the more worrying. Virtually all critical voices have been purged from Chechnya and Crimea. But that has not prevented Moscow from portraying itself as an alternative model internationally.

Despots get more despotic

Driven by paranoia or encouraged by the worldwide questioning of democratic standards, the region’s worst despots continue to tighten the screw. Already at or near the bottom of the Index, they have managed to do even worse this year with complete impunity.

It would have been hard for Turkmenistan, which was already third from the bottom at 178th, to fall any lower but its negative factors score has risen in line with its increased persecution of the few remaining independent journalists. Azerbaijan (163rd) and Kazakhstan (158th) have both fallen one place. Not content with finding ever new pretexts for detaining journalists, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has blocked access to the main independent news websites and has stepped up harassment of journalists who try to resist from exile. After silencing the last opposition media outlets, his Kazakh counterpart signed a law in December 2017 that makes investigative reporting almost impossible.

The respite is well and truly over in Belarus (down two places at 155th). An increase in opposition protests was accompanied by a new crackdown. At least 100 journalists were briefly arrested in 2017 and more than 60 were convicted of working for media outlets based abroad. Tajikistan (149th) has not budged in the 2018 Index but that is little consolation after its dramatic 34-place fall in the 2016 Index as a result of its eradication of pluralism. The media are now reduced to singing the praises of “Leader of the Nation” Emomali Rakhmon.

The region’s only country to rise significantly in the Index was Uzbekistan (165th), which climbed four places while its negative factors score (66.11 in 2017) fell by more than five points. After taking charge of one of the world’s most oppressive regimes in December 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev began to address his predecessor’s ultra-authoritarian heritage and to free some of the imprisoned journalists, including Muhammad Bekjanov, held the longest (18 years). The trend has accelerated since the start of 2018, after the period covered by this Index, but much remains to be done. The media are still largely controlled, the main independent news websites are still blocked and two journalists were arrested in 2017. Their fate will serve as a test.

No more refuge for persecuted journalists?

Higher up the Index, only Georgia (up three at 61st) and, to a lesser extent, Ukraine (up one at 101st) have risen. The significance of Georgia’s small rise is undermined by the volatility of this section of the Index. Ukraine saw fewer abuses in the past year, but where it now seems to be stuck in the Index is disappointing after the promises of the 2014 revolution. The oligarchs’ grip on the leading media outlets, impunity for physical attacks on journalists and the excesses of the “information war” with Russia are still key challenges.

Kyrgyzstan (98th) is still an exception in Central Asia because of its media pluralism, but its nine-place fall reflects serious concern for press freedom’s future. Independent media have been harassed and astronomic fines imposed for “insulting the head of state.” Armenia (80th) and Moldova (81st) both fell one place due to concern about access to state-held information in the first and excesses in the fight against propaganda in the second.

The increasingly frequent arrests of journalists in exile are another source of concern. Uzbek journalist Ali Feruz was detained in Russia for six months before being deported to Germany. An Uzbek journalist, an Azerbaijani journalist and a Kazakh blogger were all briefly arrested in Ukraine. Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarly was abducted in Georgia, where he lived in self-imposed exile, and was forcibly returned to Azerbaijan. The Ukrainian and Georgian governments must not abandon the region’s dissident exiles who will have nowhere else to go for refuge.

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PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554

Press release Information under embargo until April 25, 2018 –12:01AM EST

RSF Index 2018: Journalists are murdered in Europe as well

The European model’s erosion, a trend visible in RSF’s most recent Indexes, has continued in the 2018 Index. The region has been shaken by two murders, as well as by threats to investigative reporters and unprecedented verbal attacks on the media. Even the countries at the top of the Index are affected by this alarming climate.

The traditionally safe environment for journalists in Europe has begun to deteriorate. Two murders in the space of five months, the first in Malta and the second in Slovakia, have capped a worrying decline for the continent’s democracies.

Malta plunged 18 places to 65th in the Index. Journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia’s targeted car bomb death lifted the veil on the judicial harassment and intimidation to which journalists are routinely subjected in the island state. Caruana Galizia had been threatened for years and at the time of her death was the target of 42 civil suits and five criminal cases. Slovakia, down ten places to 27th, is still reeling from the murder of a 27-year-old investigative reporter who had been covering corruption and the mafia.

Anti-media rhetoric from politicians

Political leaders are increasingly the source of the verbal attacks and harassment that create a hostile climate for journalists. In Slovakia, relations between the media and (now former) Prime Minister Robert Fico were marred by frequent incidents. He called them “filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes” and “idiotic hyenas” and often sued them. In the Czech Republic (down 11 places to 34th), President Milos Zeman brandished a dummy Kalashnikov inscribed with the word “journalists” at a press conference after previously calling journalists “manure” and “hyenas” and suggesting they should be “liquidated” while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In Hungary (down two places to 73rd), Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused Hungarian-born US billionaire philanthropist George Soros of supporting independent media outlets in order to “discredit” Hungary in the international public’s eyes, and has branded him public enemy No. 1. The climate in Serbia (down ten places to 76th) has become more fraught since Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was elected president in 2017. He uses the pro-government media to intimidate journalists who are accused of “treachery” and of being “spies in foreign pay.”

In Albania (down one at 75th), Prime Minister Edi Rama attacked journalists in autumn, calling them “ignorant,” “poison,” “charlatans” and even “public enemies.” In Croatia (an EU member state since 2013 that is up five places to 69th), the new liberal-conservative HDZ–HNS ruling coalition says it considers press freedom to be of prime importance. However, the growing influence of hate speech, which is proving hard to curb, is a source of concern. Politicians have not sufficiently condemned the verbal violence against journalists that has invaded the public arena.

Spreading to the rest of Europe

This sickening atmosphere is not limited to central Europe. Political leaders elsewhere have resorted to this rhetoric, which is not just unpleasant but also dangerous for journalists. In Austria, the leader of the far-right populist FPÖ party accused the public radio and TV broadcaster ÖRF of spreading lies. In Spain (down two at 31st), the October independence referendum in Catalonia exacerbated tension and created an oppressive atmosphere for journalists, with harassment on social networks fuelled by the intemperate language used by Catalan officials about journalists who do not support independence.

France (up six at 33rd) is no exception. “Media bashing” by politicians peaked during the 2017 election campaign and some still resort to denigrating journalists whenever they are in trouble. Claiming that media in the pay of centrist President Emmanuel Macron’s party were orchestrating a campaign to discredit him, Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the left-wing France Unbowed party wrote in his blog that “hatred of the media and their presenters is fair and healthy” and voiced support for right-wing leader Laurent Wauquiez’s condemnation of “media bullshit.” France’s six-place rise in the Index despite this hostile climate was due partly to the exceptional falls of some of its European neighbours.

Troublesome investigative reporters

As well as being threatened and insulted by certain European leaders, journalists are also exposed to the hostility of the criminal groups operating in Europe which particularly dislike reporters who investigate unscrupulous businessmen and track the cross-border tentacles of their operations.

Physical attacks and death threats against journalists by criminal groups are especially common in Bulgaria (down two at 111th). This current holder of the EU rotating presidency has fallen from 36th position in 2006 to what is by far the worst position of any EU country in the 2018 Index.

In Italy (up six to 46th), ten investigative reporters are currently getting round-the-clock police protection because of death threats and because covering a mafia ring or criminal groups can prove fatal. In Montenegro (up three to 103rd), veteran investigative reporter Jovo Martinovic spent 14 months in prison after contacting a drug trafficker while researching a story. In Poland, which has continued its fall in the Index (down four at 58th), anti-corruption reporter Tomasz Piatek was threatened with imprisonment after exposing the defence minister’s murky links with Russian organized crime. Legislative changes

Another emerging trend is for public broadcasting to be threatened by reforms, as in Switzerland (up two at 5th) where the “No Billag” initiative to abolish licence fee funding for the state radio and TV broadcaster was overwhelmingly rejected in a referendum.

Government interference is the source of the threat in other countries. This is the case in Croatia, where the government continues to meddle in the state radio and TV broadcaster HRT; in Montenegro, where the ruling party has taken control of the public broadcaster RTCG; in Slovakia; and in Spain, where journalists at state-owned TVE demonstrated against their management and against TVE’s biased coverage of the Catalan referendum.

In France, an announced bill to combat fake news during elections is the subject of much debate. Some see it as a threat to press freedom, others as an attempt to defend “quality journalism.” Under a new law in Germany (up one place at 15th), the authorities can impose heavy fines on social networks that fail to remove hate speech promptly after it has been reported. As well as encouraging excessive data blocking, it has been used as a model for oppressive laws in other countries, including Russia and the Philippines. Other recent laws have caused concern because they include provisions on whistleblowers and penalize the media’s use of leaks.

There was virtually no improvement in the United Kingdom’s disappointing ranking in the Index (40th). Theresa May’s government pursued its heavy-handed approach towards the media, usually in the name of national security, implementing the draconian Investigatory Powers Act, repeatedly threatening to restrict encryption software and announcing plans for other disturbing measures.

Problems at the top, too

The decline in the environment for journalists did not spare the Nordic countries, which traditionally respect press freedom the most. In Finland (down one at 4th), where a crisis already dented the admired state broadcaster Yle’s reputation in 2016, police searched a well-known newspaper journalist’s home in bizarre circumstances in December 2017, prompting concern that the confidentiality of her sources was violated.

Norway (1st) has topped the Index for the second year running, followed – as it was last year – by Sweden (2nd). The past year in Denmark (down five at 9th) was overshadowed by the death of 30-year-old Swedish journalist Kim Wall aboard a submarine whose Danish owner is now being tried for her murder.

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PRESS CONTACT: Noni Ghani Communications Officer, North America [email protected] / (202) 204-5554 Rank2018 EN_country FR_Country Score 2018 Progression RANK Rank 2017 Score 2017 Zone Diff Prog Score 1 Norway Norvège 7.632366706 0 1 7.595938882 EU Balkans 0.036427824 2 Sweden Suede 8.309397911 0 2 8.267621364 EU Balkans 0.041776547 3 Netherlands Pays-Bas 10.01058984 2 5 11.2844465 EU Balkans -1.27385666 4 Finland Finlande 10.26364714 -1 3 8.917455325 EU Balkans 1.346191814 5 Switzerland Suisse 11.26760475 2 7 12.13470489 EU Balkans -0.867100143 6 Jamaica Jamaïque 11.33406314 2 8 12.72593126 Americas -1.391868122 7 Belgium Belgique 13.1636344 2 9 12.74909079 EU Balkans 0.414543609 8 New Zealand Nouvelle-Zélande 13.61909178 5 13 13.98133575 Asia-Pacific -0.362243964 9 Denmark Danemark 13.9921055 -5 4 10.35688912 EU Balkans 3.635216383 10 Costa Rica Costa Rica 14.01233068 -4 6 11.92606891 Americas 2.086261774 11 Austria Autriche 14.03851877 0 11 13.47016062 EU Balkans 0.568358145 12 Estonia Estonie 14.08210646 0 12 13.54512862 EU Balkans 0.536977834 13 Iceland Islande 14.10068538 -3 10 13.02764564 EU Balkans 1.073039732 14 Portugal Portugal 14.1746095 4 18 15.77446313 EU Balkans -1.599853631 15 Germany Allemagne 14.38926678 1 16 14.97060356 EU Balkans -0.581336782 16 Ireland Irlande 14.5867976 -2 14 14.08038498 EU Balkans 0.506412616 17 Luxembourg Luxembourg 14.71690693 -2 15 14.71686433 EU Balkans 4.26014E-05 18 Canada Canada 15.28337961 4 22 16.53041448 Americas -1.247034869 19 Australia Australie 15.46152376 0 19 16.02150636 Asia-Pacific -0.559982597 20 Uruguay Uruguay 15.56324533 5 25 17.43160852 Americas -1.868363193 21 Suriname Surinam 16.44301401 -1 20 16.07099086 Americas 0.372023145 22 Samoa Samoa 16.68817052 -1 21 16.40674263 Asia-Pacific 0.281427884 23 Ghana Ghana 18.4058614 3 26 17.94646295 Africa 0.459398449 24 Latvia Lettonie 19.63076998 4 28 18.61561998 EU Balkans 1.015149998 25 Cyprus Chypre 19.85036303 5 30 19.79420114 EU Balkans 0.056161882 26 Namibia Namibie 20.24197902 -2 24 17.07517349 Africa 3.166805522 27 Slovakia Slovaquie 20.2593179 -10 17 15.50707415 EU Balkans 4.752243752 28 South Africa Afrique du Sud 20.39256046 3 31 20.12364079 Africa 0.268919675 29 Cape Verde Cap-Vert 20.39461186 -2 27 18.01828235 Africa 2.376329508 30 Liechtenstein Liechtenstein 20.4933868 2 32 20.30752479 EU Balkans 0.185862006 31 Spain Espagne 20.5098664 -2 29 18.68565738 EU Balkans 1.824209019 32 Slovenia Slovénie 21.6937693 5 37 21.70206996 EU Balkans -0.008300662 33 France France 21.87159365 6 39 22.23766409 EU Balkans -0.366070442 34 Czech Republic République tchèque 21.88642066 -11 23 16.91451773 EU Balkans 4.971902936 35 OECS OECS 22.11329731 3 38 22.1000545 Americas 0.013242809 36 Lithuania Lituanie 22.20177739 0 36 21.369391 EU Balkans 0.83238639 Rank2018 EN_country FR_Country Score 2018 Progression RANK Rank 2017 Score 2017 Zone Diff Prog Score 37 Andorra Andorre 22.21190091 -2 35 21.02506648 EU Balkans 1.186834439 38 Chile Chili 22.6915521 -5 33 20.53178185 Americas 2.159770247 39 Trinidad and Tobago Trinité-et-Tobago 22.79293376 -5 34 20.61630236 Americas 2.176631399 40 United Kingdom Royaume-Uni 23.24645954 0 40 22.25527663 EU Balkans 0.991182911 41 Burkina Faso Burkina Faso 23.32737897 1 42 23.85346869 Africa -0.526089719 42 Taiwan Taïwan 23.36082634 3 45 24.36627313 Asia-Pacific -1.00544679 43 South Korea Corée du Sud 23.51035994 20 63 27.61321463 Asia-Pacific -4.102854689 44 Romania Roumanie 23.6481088 2 46 24.45607776 EU Balkans -0.807968955 45 United States Etats Unis 23.73387299 -2 43 23.87847092 Americas -0.144597935 46 Italy Italie 24.12320195 6 52 26.2567612 EU Balkans -2.133559252 47 Belize Bélize 24.54639718 -6 41 23.43224313 Americas 1.114154053 48 Botswana Botswana 25.28605439 0 48 24.93038599 Africa 0.3556684 49 Comoros Comores 25.29634269 -5 44 24.32896084 Africa 0.967381845 50 Senegal Sénégal 25.61479204 8 58 26.72350319 Africa -1.108711152 51 Tonga Tonga 25.68345458 -2 49 24.96868401 Asia-Pacific 0.714770567 52 Argentina Argentine 26.04949755 -2 50 25.06779194 Americas 0.981705612 53 Papua New Guinea Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée 26.18592977 -2 51 25.0683793 Asia-Pacific 1.117550464 54 Madagascar Madagascar 26.20457558 3 57 26.71035101 Africa -0.505775427 55 Guyana Guyana 26.2524594 5 60 26.79932968 Americas -0.546870276 56 Mauritius Maurice 26.44748928 0 56 26.66964092 Africa -0.222151639 57 Fiji Fidji 26.55243364 10 67 28.63791765 Asia-Pacific -2.085484008 58 Poland Pologne 26.58640323 -4 54 26.47213109 EU Balkans 0.114272142 59 Dominican Republic République dominicaine 26.78637577 0 59 26.75937801 Americas 0.026997754 60 Haiti Haïti 26.82442636 -7 53 26.35665189 Americas 0.467774471 61 Georgia Géorgie 27.33965031 3 64 27.75917497 EEAC -0.419524657 62 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnie-Herzégovine 27.37022037 3 65 27.83162321 EU Balkans -0.461402842 63 Niger Niger 27.39630538 -2 61 27.21153082 Africa 0.184774561 64 Malawi Malawi 27.42824239 6 70 28.96832123 Africa -1.540078834 65 Malta Malte 27.44335752 -18 47 24.76243856 EU Balkans 2.680918965 66 El Salvador El Salvador 27.78495385 -4 62 27.2428124 Americas 0.542141442 67 Japan Japon 28.63622074 5 72 29.44229714 Asia-Pacific -0.806076408 68 Lesotho Lesotho 28.78421633 0 68 28.78417373 Africa 4.26027E-05 69 Croatia Croatie 28.93537218 5 74 29.58559787 EU Balkans -0.650225687 70 Hong Kong Hong-Kong 29.03704158 3 73 29.45589518 Asia-Pacific -0.418853601 71 Mongolia Mongolie 29.04775294 -2 69 28.95301481 Asia-Pacific 0.094738124 72 Mauritania Mauritanie 29.09171478 -17 55 26.4875902 Africa 2.604124588 Rank2018 EN_country FR_Country Score 2018 Progression RANK Rank 2017 Score 2017 Zone Diff Prog Score 73 Hungary Hongrie 29.11414793 -2 71 29.00557856 EU Balkans 0.108569366 74 Greece Grèce 29.18740261 14 88 30.88670382 EU Balkans -1.699301216 75 Albania Albanie 29.48836266 1 76 29.91777108 EU Balkans -0.429408413 76 Serbia Serbie 29.58200465 -10 66 28.04644783 EU Balkans 1.535556816 77 North Cyprus Chypre (partie Nord) 29.590749 -2 75 29.8761916 EU Balkans -0.285442601 78 Kosovo Kosovo 29.60769287 4 82 30.45060438 EU Balkans -0.842911512 79 Sierra Leone Sierra Leone 29.98138022 6 85 30.73403135 Africa -0.752651128 80 Armenia Arménie 29.99058786 -1 79 30.38421758 EEAC -0.393629714 81 Moldova Moldavie 30.01034767 -1 80 30.40545125 EEAC -0.395103583 82 Cote d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire 30.07696976 -1 81 30.41857316 Africa -0.341603398 83 Guinea-Bissau Guinée-Bissau 30.08643013 -6 77 30.08638752 Africa 4.26027E-05 84 Benin Bénin 30.15824466 -6 78 30.31716945 Africa -0.158924793 85 Seychelles Seychelles 30.16843679 2 87 30.86292822 Africa -0.694491426 86 Togo Togo 30.23092999 0 86 30.75175061 Africa -0.520820626 87 Israel Israël 30.26198183 4 91 31.00826032 MENA -0.746278492 88 Peru Perou 30.26601109 2 90 30.98202795 Americas -0.716016865 89 Liberia Liberia 30.32654719 5 94 31.122419 Africa -0.795871811 90 Nicaragua Nicaragua 30.41383808 2 92 31.01318376 Americas -0.599345681 91 Panama Panama 30.56119951 5 96 32.11908213 Americas -1.557882627 92 Ecuador Equateur 30.56213279 13 105 33.63912201 Americas -3.076989224 93 Tanzania Tanzanie 30.65475424 -10 83 30.65471164 Africa 4.26027E-05 94 Bhutan Bhoutan 30.72682725 -10 84 30.72682725 Asia-Pacific -4.29807E-10 95 East Timor Timor-Leste 30.81391167 3 98 32.81551064 Asia-Pacific -2.001598966 96 Kenya Kenya 30.82018899 -1 95 31.19711282 Africa -0.376923828 97 Tunisia Tunisie 30.91072342 0 97 32.2155682 MENA -1.304844772 98 Kyrgyzstan Kirghizstan 31.00374458 -9 89 30.91807605 EEAC 0.085668528 99 Mozambique Mozambique 31.1220318 -6 93 31.05464896 Africa 0.067382836 100 Lebanon Liban 31.14627787 -1 99 33.00586277 MENA -1.859584894 101 Ukraine Ukraine 31.16218213 1 102 33.19004959 EEAC -2.027867466 102 Brazil Brésil 31.20451786 1 103 33.58070932 Americas -2.376191465 103 Montenegro Monténégro 31.21272344 3 106 33.64630753 EU Balkans -2.433584094 104 Guinea Guinée 31.90442397 -3 101 33.15233216 Africa -1.247908192 105 Kuwait Koweït 31.91152174 -1 104 33.61468143 MENA -1.703159692 106 Nepal Népal 32.05154731 -6 100 33.02447647 Asia-Pacific -0.972929157 107 Paraguay Paraguay 32.31767814 3 110 35.63732803 Americas -3.319649889 108 Gabon Gabon 32.37149111 0 108 34.8307553 Africa -2.459264189 Rank2018 EN_country FR_Country Score 2018 Progression RANK Rank 2017 Score 2017 Zone Diff Prog Score 109 Macedonia Macédoine 32.42555401 2 111 35.73682101 EU Balkans -3.311267004 110 Bolivia Bolivie 32.45206648 -3 107 33.88160801 Americas -1.42954153 111 Bulgaria Bulgarie 35.22449789 -2 109 35.00703857 EU Balkans 0.217459321 112 Central African Republic République centrafricaine 35.25472229 1 113 36.11536641 Africa -0.860644122 113 Zambia Zambie 35.35596903 1 114 36.48452012 Africa -1.12855109 114 Congo Congo 35.41614983 1 115 36.73310286 Africa -1.316953032 115 Mali Mali 36.15103716 1 116 38.26917793 Africa -2.118140772 116 Guatemala Guatemala 36.17081239 2 118 39.33360989 Americas -3.162797503 117 Uganda Ouganda 36.77002036 -5 112 35.9437023 Africa 0.826318061 118 Afghanistan Afghanistan 37.28190244 2 120 39.45611553 Asia-Pacific -2.174213091 119 Nigeria Nigeria 37.40521165 3 122 39.68557801 Africa -2.280366355 120 Maldives Maldives 37.95201255 -3 117 39.3006093 Asia-Pacific -1.348596749 121 Angola Angola 38.35253425 4 125 40.42392717 Africa -2.071392926 122 Gambia Gambie 38.35574639 21 143 46.7022859 Africa -8.346539513 123 Chad Tchad 38.45031741 -2 121 39.65651835 Africa -1.206200935 124 Indonesia Indonésie 39.67502276 0 124 39.93285085 Asia-Pacific -0.257828086 125 Qatar Qatar 40.1585469 -2 123 39.83338293 MENA 0.325163965 126 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 40.52522859 2 128 41.44401143 Africa -0.918782835 127 Oman Oman 40.67262175 -1 126 40.45803233 MENA 0.21458942 128 United Arab Emirates Émirats arabes unis 40.85934202 -9 119 39.38676451 MENA 1.47257751 129 Cameroon Cameroun 40.92089956 1 130 41.58897305 Africa -0.668073483 130 Colombia Colombie 41.03098012 -1 129 41.46601461 Americas -0.435034494 131 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 41.37138159 10 141 44.3437365 Asia-Pacific -2.97235491 132 Jordan Jordanie 41.70990494 6 138 43.23657463 MENA -1.526669689 133 Philippines Philippines 42.52528558 -6 127 41.07532997 Asia-Pacific 1.449955603 134 Palestine Palestine 42.96159922 1 135 42.89730068 MENA 0.064298538 135 Morocco Maroc 43.1309363 -2 133 42.42404011 MENA 0.706896188 136 Algeria Algérie 43.1330026 -2 134 42.83238965 MENA 0.300612945 137 Myanmar Birmanie 43.15344492 -6 131 41.82418831 Asia-Pacific 1.329256606 138 India Inde 43.23612382 -2 136 42.93866235 Asia-Pacific 0.297461477 139 Pakistan Pakistan 43.24300874 0 139 43.55238462 Asia-Pacific -0.309375886 140 Thailand Thaïlande 44.31258703 2 142 44.68572486 Asia-Pacific -0.373137829 141 Honduras Honduras 45.23082448 -1 140 43.75175375 Americas 1.479070733 142 Cambodia Cambodge 45.89583158 -10 132 42.0699653 Asia-Pacific 3.825866285 143 Venezuela Venezuela 46.02795228 -6 137 42.94042265 Americas 3.087529625 144 South Sudan Soudan du Sud 46.87594401 1 145 48.16159767 Africa -1.285653658 Rank2018 EN_country FR_Country Score 2018 Progression RANK Rank 2017 Score 2017 Zone Diff Prog Score 145 Malaysia Malaisie 47.4104973 -1 144 46.893635 Asia-Pacific 0.516862297 146 Bangladesh Bangladesh 48.62481142 0 146 48.36205734 Asia-Pacific 0.262754083 147 Mexico Mexique 48.90753633 0 147 48.97236176 Americas -0.064825433 148 Russian Federation Russie 49.9579009 0 148 49.45215192 EEAC 0.505748976 149 Tajikistan Tadjikistan 50.06057922 0 149 50.27136761 EEAC -0.21078839 150 Ethiopia Éthiopie 50.1708758 0 150 50.34022898 Africa -0.169353182 151 Singapore Singapour 50.95215721 0 151 51.09990083 Asia-Pacific -0.147743623 152 Swaziland Swaziland 51.45666907 0 152 51.27332977 Africa 0.183339298 153 Brunei Darussalam Brunei 51.48087594 3 156 53.71717136 Asia-Pacific -2.236295428 154 The Democratic Republic Of The CongoRD Congo 51.6004288 0 154 52.66830429 Africa -1.067875495 155 Belarus Bélarus 52.59275219 -2 153 52.43039161 EEAC 0.162360582 156 Rwanda Rwanda 52.9011447 3 159 54.10606905 Africa -1.204924349 157 Turkey Turquie 53.50210769 -2 155 52.98365643 EEAC 0.518451255 158 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 54.4112008 -1 157 54.01250943 EEAC 0.398691378 159 Burundi Burundi 55.26296927 1 160 55.77815946 Africa -0.515190197 160 Iraq Irak 56.56175902 -2 158 54.03162211 MENA 2.530136909 161 Egypt Égypte 56.71539916 0 161 55.78176984 MENA 0.933629314 162 Libya Libye 56.78959565 1 163 56.80814852 MENA -0.018552871 163 Azerbaijan Azerbaïdjan 59.73354316 -1 162 56.39997503 EEAC 3.333568124 164 Islamic Republic of Iran Iran 60.7148254 1 165 65.11599117 MENA -4.401165775 165 Uzbekistan Ouzbékistan 60.83600093 4 169 66.11334345 EEAC -5.277342518 166 Bahrain Bahreïn 60.84759367 -2 164 58.88405544 MENA 1.963538225 167 Yemen Yémen 62.23057069 -1 166 65.79749234 MENA -3.566921654 168 Somalia Somalie 63.0422123 -1 167 65.94504335 Africa -2.902831049 169 Saudi Arabia Arabie saoudite 63.12874226 -1 168 66.01823431 MENA -2.88949205 170 Lao People's Democratic Republic Laos 66.41256796 0 170 66.41252536 Asia-Pacific 4.25997E-05 171 Equatorial Guinea Guinée équatoriale 66.46927292 0 171 66.46927291 Africa 6.32141E-10 172 Cuba Cuba 68.90299 1 173 71.75250219 Americas -2.849512192 173 Djibouti Djibouti 70.77324676 -1 172 70.539681 Africa 0.233565764 174 Sudan Soudan 71.1278785 0 174 73.56126851 Africa -2.433390011 175 Vietnam Viêt Nam 75.04533782 0 175 73.9639703 Asia-Pacific 1.081367527 176 China Chine 78.29339009 0 176 77.66206661 Asia-Pacific 0.631323477 177 Syrian Arab Republic Syrie 79.21941377 0 177 81.48956451 MENA -2.270150739 178 Turkmenistan Turkménistan 84.19748345 0 178 84.18763986 EEAC 0.009843591 179 Eritrea Érythrée 84.24453417 0 179 84.24104607 Africa 0.003488103 180 Democratic People's Republic of KoreaCorée du Nord 88.86510662 0 180 84.97756357 Asia-Pacific 3.887543048

The World Press Freedom Index How we compile the Index - Methodology

What is it?

Published ever year since 2002 by Reporters Without Borders, the World Press Freedom Index is an important advocacy tool based on the principle of emulation between states. Because it is well known, its influence over governments is growing. Many heads of state and government fear its annual publication. The Index is a point of reference that is quoted by media throughout the world and is used by diplomats and international entities such as the United Nations and World Bank.

What does it measure?

The Index ranks 180 countries according to the level of freedom available to journalists. It is a snapshot of the media freedom situation based on an evaluation of the pluralism, the independence of the media, the quality of the legislative framework and the safety of journalists in each country. It does not rank public policies even if governments obviously have a major impact on their country’s ranking. Nor is it an indicator of the quality of the journalism in each country.

The global indicator and regional indicators

Along with the Index, RSF calculates a global indicator and regional indicators that evaluate the overall performance of all countries (in the world and in each region) as regards media freedom. It is an absolute measure that complements the Index’s comparative rankings. The global indicator is the average of the regional indicators, each of which is obtained by averaging the scores of all the countries in the region, weighted according to their population as given by the World Bank.

How the index is compiled

The degree of freedom available to journalists in 180 countries is determined by pooling the responses of experts to a questionnaire devised by RSF. This qualitative analysis is combined with quantitative data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists during the period evaluated. The criteria evaluated in the questionnaire are pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.

The questionnaire

To compile the Index, RSF has developed an online questionnaire with 87 questions focused on these criteria. Translated into 20 languages including English, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Indonesian and Korean, the questionnaire is targeted at the media professionals, lawyers and sociologists who are asked to complete it. Scores are calculated on the basis of the responses of the experts selected by RSF combined with the data on abuses and violence against journalists during the period evaluated.

The data on abuses

A team of specialists, each assigned to a different geographical region, keeps a detailed tally of abuses and violence against journalists and media outlets. These researchers also rely on a network of correspondents in 130 countries. The Abuses indicator for each country is calculated on the basis of the data about the intensity of abuses and violence against media actors during the period evaluated. This quantitative indicator is then used to weight the qualitative analysis of the situation in the country based on the replies to the questionnaires.

The press freedom map

The press freedom map, which is distributed in print and digital versions, offers a visual overview of the situation in each country in the index. The colour categories are assigned as follows: good (white), fairly good (yellow), problematic (orange), bad (red) and very bad (black).

DETAILED METHODOLOGY

Criteria categories and indicators

The questionnaire focuses on such criteria categories as the country’s performance as regards pluralism, media independence and respect for the safety and freedom of journalists. Each question in the questionnaire is linked to one of the six following indicators:

1 / Pluralism [indicator scorePlur] Measures the degree to which opinions are represented in the media.

2 / Media independence [indicator scoreInd] Measures the degree to which the media are able to function independently of sources of political, governmental, business and religious power and influence.

3/ Environment and self-censorship [indicator scoreEA] Analyses the environment in which news and information providers operate.

4/ Legislative framework [indicator scoreCL] Measures the impact of the legislative framework governing news and information activities.

5/ Transparency [indicator scoreTra] Measures the transparency of the institutions and procedures that affect the production of news and information.

6 / Infrastructure [indicator scoreInf] Measures the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.

A seventh indicator based on data gathered about abuses and acts of violence against journalists and media during the period evaluated is also factored into the calculation.

7/ Abuses [indicator scoreExa] Measures the level of abuses and violence.

Each indicator is given a score between 0 and 100.

How the scores are calculated

Ever since the 2013 index, countries have been given scores ranging from 0 to 100, with 0 being the best possible score and 100 the worst. This makes the index more informative and makes it easier to compare one year with another.

Reporters Without Borders calculates two scores. The first, ScoA, is based on the first six of the seven indicators listed above. The second, ScoB, combines the first six indicators with the seventh (abuses). A country’s final score is the greater of these two scores. This method prevents an inappropriately low score (high ranking) being given to a country where few or no acts of violence against journalists take place because the provision of news and information is so tightly controlled.

The formulas

How the two scores are calculated:

How the abuses score is calculated:

The longer that journalists (professional and non-professional) are imprisoned, the more their imprisonment penalizes the country concerned.

The weighting coefficient therefore has the following values, based on the length of imprisonment in years:

Press freedom map

The press freedom map offers a visual overview of the scores of all the countries in the index. The colour categories are assigned as follows:

From 0 to 15 points: Good situation (white) From 15.01 to 25 points: Satisfactory situation (yellow) From 25.01 to 35 points: Noticeable problem (orange) From 35.01 to 55 points: Difficult situation (red) From 55.01 to 100 points: Very serious situation (black)