Reporters Without Borders

Reporters Without Borders

Biggest rises and falls in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index

 

The 2014 World Press Freedom Index spotlights the negative impact of
conflicts on freedom of information and its protagonists. The ranking of
some countries has also been affected by a tendency to interpret
national security needs in an overly broad and abusive manner to the
detriment of the right to inform and be informed. This trend constitutes
a growing threat worldwide and is even endangering freedom of
information in countries regarded as democracies.
Finland tops the index for the fourth year running, closely followed by
Netherlands and Norway, like last year. At the other end of the index,
the last three positions are again held by Turkmenistan, North Korea and
Eritrea, three countries where freedom of information is non-existent.
Despite occasional turbulence in the past year, these countries continue
to be news and information black holes and living hells for the
journalists who inhabit them.
This year’s index covers 180 countries, one more than last year. The new
entry, Belize, has been assigned an enviable position (29th). Cases of
violence against journalists are rare in Belize but there were some
problems: defamation suits involving demands for large amounts in
damages, national security restrictions on implementation of the Freedom
of Information Act and sometimes unfair management of broadcast
frequencies.

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