Freedom of the Press (report)

Last updated
Freedom of the Press status 2017. World Map of the Freedom of the Press Status, OWID.svg
Freedom of the Press status 2017.

Freedom of the Press was an annual report on media independence around the world, published between 1980 and 2017 by US-based non-governmental organization Freedom House. [2] It presented measurements of the level of freedom and editorial independence enjoyed by the press in nations and significant disputed territories around the world.

Contents

Changes in Freedom of the Press Classifications 1989-2015
Percentage of countries in each classification by year
.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}

Not Free

Partly Free

Free FOTPChanges.svg
Changes in Freedom of the Press Classifications 1989–2015
Percentage of countries in each classification by year
  •   
    Not Free
  •   
    Partly Free
  •   
    Free

Methodology

The ratings process involves several dozen analysts (Freedom House staff and consultants) who develop draft ratings using information gathered from professional contacts in a variety of countries, staff and consultant travel, international visitors, the findings of human rights and press freedom organizations, specialists in geographic and geopolitical areas, the reports of governments and multilateral bodies, members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) network, and a variety of domestic and international news media. Countries are given a total score from 0 (most free) to 100 (least free) on the basis of a set of 23 methodology questions and 109 indicators divided into three broad categories covering the legal, political, and economic environment. Based on the scores, the countries are then classified as "Free" (0 to 30), "Partly Free" (31 to 60), or "Not Free" (61 to 100). The draft ratings are reviewed on an individual and a comparative basis, compared with the previous year's findings, any major proposed numerical shifts or category changes are subject to more intense scrutiny, and assessments are made to ensure comparability and consistency in the findings from country to country, region to region, and year to year. While there is an element of subjectivity inherent in the rating process, it emphasizes intellectual rigor, recognizes cultural differences, diverse national interests, and varying levels of economic development, and attempts to produce balanced and unbiased ratings. [4]

2017 report

The Freedom of the Press 2017 report covers events that took place between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016. [5] It is put on a scale from 0 (most free) to 100 (least free).

Freedom of the Press 2017
CountryRankScoreStatus
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 18Free
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 211Free
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 311Free
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 412Free
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 512Free
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 612Free
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 713Free
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 814Free
Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra 915Free
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 1015Free
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein 1115Free
Flag of Palau.svg  Palau 1215Free
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 1316Free
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 1416Free
Flag of Monaco.svg  Monaco 1516Free
Flag of the Marshall Islands.svg  Marshall Islands 1617Free
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1717Free
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg  Saint Lucia 1817Free
Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 1917Free
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 2018Free
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 2118Free
Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados 2219Free
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 2319Free
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 2419Free
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 2520Free
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 2621Free
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania 2721Free
Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg  Micronesia 2821Free
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis 2921Free
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3021Free
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 3122Free
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 3222Free
Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas 3323Free
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 3423Free
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 3523Free
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 3623Free
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3723Free
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 3824Free
Flag of Dominica.svg  Dominica 3925Free
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan 4025Free
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 4125Free
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4225Free
Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu 4325Free
Flag of France.svg  France 4426Free
Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada 4526Free
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia 4626Free
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 4726Free
Flag of Belize.svg  Belize 4827Free
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 4927Free
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 5027Free
Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands 5127Free
Flag of Tuvalu.svg  Tuvalu 5227Free
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe 5328Free
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 5428Free
Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname 5528Free
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 5629Free
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius 5729Free
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea 5829Free
Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa 5929Free
Flag of Kiribati.svg  Kiribati 6030Free
Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga 6130Free
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 6231Partly Free
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 6332Partly Free
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 6433Partly Free
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 6533Partly Free
Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda 6634Partly Free
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 6734Partly Free
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 6834Partly Free
Flag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste 6935Partly Free
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 7037Partly Free
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 7137Partly Free
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia 7237Partly Free
Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana 7338Partly Free
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 7438Partly Free
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 7538Partly Free
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 7641Partly Free
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 7741Partly Free
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 7841Partly Free
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 7941Partly Free
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 8042Partly Free
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic 8142Partly Free
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 8242Partly Free
Flag of India.svg  India 8343Partly Free
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 8444Partly Free
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 8544Partly Free
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 8644Partly Free
Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 8744Partly Free
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 8844Partly Free
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 8945Partly Free
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 9045Partly Free
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru 9145Partly Free
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 9246Partly Free
Flag of Nauru.svg  Nauru 9346Partly Free
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 9447Partly Free
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 9547Partly Free
Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo 9648Partly Free
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 9748Partly Free
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 9849Partly Free
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 9949Partly Free
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 10049Partly Free
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles 10149Partly Free
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia 10250Partly Free
Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 10351Partly Free
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10451Partly Free
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Côte d'Ivoire 10551Partly Free
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 10651Partly Free
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 10751Partly Free
Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti 10852Partly Free
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 10952Partly Free
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 11052Partly Free
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg  Bolivia 11153Partly Free
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania 11253Partly Free
Flag of Somaliland.svg  Somaliland 11353Partly Free
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 11453Partly Free
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 11554Partly Free
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 11654Partly Free
Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua 11755Partly Free
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon 11856Partly Free
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 11956Partly Free
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 12057Partly Free
Flag of Togo.svg  Togo 12157Partly Free
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan 12258Partly Free
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 12358Partly Free
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 12458Partly Free
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 12558Partly Free
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 12658Partly Free
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 12758Partly Free
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau 12859Partly Free
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay 12959Partly Free
Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg  Afghanistan 13060Partly Free
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo (Brazzaville) 13160Partly Free
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 13260Partly Free
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 13360Partly Free
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 13461Not Free
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 13562Not Free
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives 13662Not Free
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 13763Not Free
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 13863Not Free
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  Republic of Macedonia 13964Not Free
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 14064Not Free
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 14165Not Free
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 14265Not Free
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 14366Not Free
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 14466Not Free
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 14566Not Free
Flag of Honduras.svg  Honduras 14666Not Free
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 14766Not Free
Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan 14867Not Free
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 14967Not Free
Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan 15068Not Free
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 15169Not Free
Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia 15270Not Free
Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 15370Not Free
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 15470Not Free
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic 15571Not Free
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 15671Not Free
Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq 15771Not Free
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman 15871Not Free
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 15973Not Free
Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar 16073Not Free
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad 16174Not Free
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 16274Not Free
Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei 16376Not Free
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 16476Not Free
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti 16577Not Free
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 16677Not Free
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya 16777Not Free
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 16877Not Free
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates 16978Not Free
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 17079Not Free
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia 17179Not Free
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela 17281Not Free
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo (Kinshasa) 17382Not Free
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 17483Not Free
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 17583Not Free
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Swaziland 17683Not Free
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 17784Not Free
Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine 17884Not Free
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 17985Not Free
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 18085Not Free
Flag of Laos.svg  Laos 18185Not Free
Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen 18285Not Free
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 18386Not Free
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 18486Not Free
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 18586Not Free
Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain 18687Not Free
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 18787Not Free
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan 18887Not Free
Flag of The Gambia.svg  The Gambia 18987Not Free
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 19090Not Free
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 19190Not Free
Flag of Syria.svg  Syria 19290Not Free
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 19391Not Free
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 19491Not Free
Flag of Crimea.svg  Crimea 19594Not Free
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea 19694Not Free
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 19795Not Free
Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea 19898Not Free
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan 19998Not Free
 Key:
  Not Free (scores 61–99)
  Partly Free (scores 31–60
  Free (scores 0–30)

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union

Middle East and North Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

Western Europe

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Georgia (country)</span>

The economy of Georgia is an emerging free market economy. Its gross domestic product fell sharply following the dissolution of the Soviet Union but recovered in the mid-2000s, growing in double digits thanks to the economic and democratic reforms brought by the peaceful Rose Revolution. Georgia continued its economic progress since, "moving from a near-failed state in 2003 to a relatively well-functioning market economy in 2014". In 2007, the World Bank named Georgia the World's number one economic reformer, and has consistently ranked the country at the top of its ease of doing business index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom House</span> American non-profit organization

Freedom House is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, with Wendell Willkie and Eleanor Roosevelt serving as its first honorary chairpersons. Most of the organization's funding comes from the U.S. State Department and other government grants. It also receives funds from various semi-public and private foundations, as well as individual contributions.

In politics, a regime is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc., that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. The two broad categories of regimes that appear in most literature are democratic and autocratic. However, autocratic regimes can be broken down into a subset of many different types. The key similarity between all regimes are the presence of rulers, and either formal or informal institutions.

<i>Index of Economic Freedom</i> Annual index and ranking created in 1995

The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual index and ranking created in 1995 by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world's nations. The creators of the index assert that they take an approach inspired by Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, that "basic institutions that protect the liberty of individuals to pursue their own economic interests result in greater prosperity for the larger society".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption Perceptions Index</span> Country ranking by public sector corruption

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index that ranks countries "by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." The CPI generally defines corruption as an "abuse of entrusted power for private gain". The index is published annually by the non-governmental organisation Transparency International since 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Kenya</span>

Human rights in Kenya internationally maintain a variety of mixed opinions; specifically, political freedoms are highlighted as being poor and homosexuality remains a crime. In the Freedom in the World index for 2017, Kenya held a rating of '4' for civil liberties and political freedoms, in which a scale of "1" to "7" is practised.

<i>Freedom in the World</i> Annual survey by Freedom House

Freedom in the World is a yearly survey and report by the U.S.-based non-governmental organization Freedom House that measures the degree of civil liberties and political rights in every nation and significant related and disputed territories around the world.

<i>Economic Freedom of the World</i>

Economic Freedom of the World is an annual survey published by the Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank. The survey attempts to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world's nations. It has been used in peer-reviewed studies, some of which have found a range of beneficial effects of more economic freedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ease of doing business index</span> Economic indicator

The ease of doing business index was an index created jointly by Simeon Djankov, Michael Klein, and Caralee McLiesh, three leading economists at the World Bank Group, following the release of World Development Report 2002. The academic research for the report was done jointly with professors Edward Glaeser, Oliver Hart, and Andrei Shleifer. Though the first report was authored by Djankov, Klein, and McLiesh, and they continue to be listed as "founders" of the report, some sources attribute the genesis of the idea to Djankov and Gerhard Pohl. Higher rankings indicated better, usually simpler, regulations for businesses and stronger protections of property rights. Empirical research funded by the World Bank to justify their work show that the economic growth effect of improving these regulations is strong. Other researchers find that the distance-to-frontier measure introduced in 2016 after a decision of the World Bank board is not correlated with subsequent economic growth or investment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Press Freedom Index</span> Reporters Without Borders assessment of countries press freedom

The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) since 2002 based upon the organization's own assessment of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year. It intends to reflect the degree of freedom that journalists, news organizations, and netizens have in each country, and the efforts made by authorities to respect this freedom. Reporters Without Borders is careful to note that the WPFI only deals with press freedom and does not measure the quality of journalism in the countries it assesses, nor does it look at human rights violations in general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Peace Index</span> Measures the relative position of nations and regions peacefulness

Global Peace Index (GPI) is a report produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) which measures the relative position of nations' and regions' peacefulness. The GPI ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their levels of peacefulness. In the past decade, the GPI has presented trends of increased global violence and less peacefulness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fragile States Index</span> Annual report for politically vulnerable countries

The Fragile States Index is an annual report mainly published and supported by the United States think tank the Fund for Peace. The FSI is also published by the American magazine Foreign Policy from 2005 to 2018, then by The New Humanitarian since 2019. The list aims to assess states' vulnerability to conflict or collapse, ranking all sovereign states with membership in the United Nations where there is enough data available for analysis. Taiwan, Northern Cyprus, Kosovo and Western Sahara are not ranked, despite being recognized as sovereign by one or more other nations. The Palestinian Territories were ranked together with Israel until 2021. Ranking is based on the sum of scores for 12 indicators. Each indicator is scored on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the lowest intensity and 10 being the highest intensity, creating a scale spanning 0−120.

Canada ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, education levels, gender equality, public services, public security and environmental sustainability. It ranks among the lowest of the most developed countries for housing affordability, healthcare services and foreign direct investment.

These are the international rankings of Bahrain.

This list of Internet censorship and surveillance by country provides information on the types and levels of Internet censorship and surveillance that is occurring in countries around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media Sustainability Index</span>

The International Research and Exchanges Board’s (IREX) Media Sustainability Index (MSI) is a tool to evaluate the global development of independent media. The MSI is one of the most important indices "to assess how media systems change over time and across borders", in addition to the Freedom of the Press Index compiled by Freedom House and the Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.

North Korea ranks as the third least democratic country in the world in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, while The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal's Index of Economic Freedom places the country as the one with least economic freedom. According to the Press Freedom Index, North Korea has the fourth least free press in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quality of Nationality Index</span>

The Quality of Nationality Index (QNI) ranks the quality of nationalities based on internal and external factors. Each nationality receives an aggregated score based on economic strength, human development, ease of travel, political stability and overseas employment opportunities for their citizens. The QNI was created by Dimitry Kochenov and Christian Kälin, chairman of Henley & Partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Gabon</span> Human rights of a sovereign state located in Central Africa

Gabon, also known as the Gabonese Republic is a sovereign state located in Central Africa along the Atlantic coastline. Gabon gained its independence from France in 1960. Human rights are rights that are inherent and universal to all human beings. Typical human rights include, freedom of speech, freedom of slavery, freedom of fair representation, a right to adequate living standards and exclusion of child labour. These human rights and more are included in the Declaration of Human Rights legislated by the United Nations of which the Gabonese Republic is a party. Gabon has signed multiple conventions such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the United Nations Convention against Torture, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, all of which are binding to them. However, despite Gabon having ratified many of these human rights conventions and laws within their own sovereign state there are still ongoing human right issues such as human trafficking, child trafficking, lack of political freedom and poverty. Political freedom is an essential human right in all societies and nations as it helps to protect democratic systems. The Gabonese governments have drawn criticism from multiple non-governmental organizations such as Freedom House and foreign governing bodies, especially the United States Department, for the lack of transparency of their political systems.

References

  1. "World Map of the Freedom of the Press Status". Our World in Data. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. "Publication Archives". Freedom House. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  3. "Freedom of the Press 2015". Freedom House. Retrieved 11 June 2015.Freedom of the Press Category Breakdown Data: Global Category Breakdown 1989-2015
  4. "Methodology", Freedom of the Press 2012, Freedom House, 21 June 2012, retrieved 2 August 2012
  5. "Freedom of the Press 2017". Freedom House. Excel data