Media Freedom

Trends in Media freedom Countries with freedom of information laws** 112 104 2016 101 CONTINUED LEGAL RESTRICTIONS, 56 97 including defamation, insult, 91 90 blasphemy and lèse-majesté laws

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

18 2015 INCREASED RECOGNITION of the public’s Number of internet right to access information shutdowns*

INCREASE IN BLOCKING, filtering and shutdowns

DIGITAL MEDIA have raised new challenges for privacy and journalist source protection R.O.A.M

UNESCO MEMBER STATES HAVE GIVEN SUPPORT FOR INTERNET NATIONAL SECURITY UNIVERSALITY, for an internet that is CONCERNS, states of Rights-based, Open, Accessible and emergency and anti- Multi-Stakeholder (R.O.A.M principles) terrorism laws have curtailed freedom of expression IMPARTING INFO: CURBED RECEIVING INFO: ENHANCED

Sources: *AccessNow. 2017; **freedominfo.org. 2016 Trends in

Media pluralism NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION*** has fallen in all regions, Percentage of individuals with access to the except in Asia and the Pacific internet*

WOMEN REMAIN UNDERREPRESENTED IN MEDIA**, making up only: 34% 48% 2012 2017 NEARLY HALF THE WORLD’S POPULATION now has access to the internet 1 IN 4 MEDIA DECISION-MAKERS

1 IN 3 REPORTERS

THE AVAILABILITY OF MEDIA CONTENT has dramatically 1 IN 5 EXPERTS INTERVIEWED increased, largely through sharing and user-generated content on social media

RATING ALGORITHM-RANKED search results and social media news feeds have THE PRACTICE OF ‘ZERO-RATING’ contributed to the creation of ‘echo has increased pluralism in terms of chambers’ and ‘filter bubbles’, where access, but it has raised concerns people reinforce their beliefs rather than about limiting net neutrality dialogue across differences

EXPANDED ACCESS NARROWED CHOICE

Sources: *ITU. 2017; **Global Media Monitoring Report. 2015; *** WAN-IFRA.2017 Trends in Media independence

RISE IN RHETORIC AGAINST THE MEDIA by political figures is encouraging self- censorship and undermining media’s credibility

SELF-REGULATORY BODIES, which can support the exercise of professional standards while maintaining editorial independence, have INCREASED grown in post-conflict and DEPENDENCE ON developing countries government and corporate subsidies is linked to disruptions in business models

TRUST IN NEWS MEDIA is seen to have declined in some regions

INCREASED SELF-REGULATORY EFFORTS BY INTERNET INTERMEDIARIES are promoting media and information literacy, BROADCAST LICENSING counteracting ‘fake news’ and continues to be driven tackling online abuse by political and commercial interests

VULNERABILITY/CAPTURE RESILIENCE/RESISTANCE Trends in the 100% 74% MEMBER STATES Safety of journalists 80% HAVE BECOME 47% MORE RESPONSIVE 60% to UNESCO’s requests 30% 68% on the safety of JOURNALISTS Western Europe and North America 40% journalists, 2013-2017 WERE KILLED, Central and Eastern Europe 20% 530 Between 2012 and 2016 Africa 27% 0% Asia and the Pacific MAP OF JOURNALISTS KILLED BY REGION, 2012 - 2016 Latin America and the Caribbean 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Arab States

17

17 107 191

73 125 UN PLAN OF ACTION on the safety of IMPUNITY FOR journalists CRIMES AGAINST and the JOURNALISTS issue of impunity 9 in 10 GROWING THREATS CASES TO DIGITAL SAFETY REMAIN include cyberattacks, UNPUNISHED surveillance, hacking, intimidation and rise in online harassment, especially of women journalists WIDENING ATTACKS INCREASING RESPONSES