US ranks 31st in freedom of the media.

[Brucey]

An interesting article in the Prague Post:

http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2003/Art/1030/news6.php

This month the Paris-based media watchdog group issued its second annual survey of how free media in 166 countries are from legal, political and economic harassment. The study is based on questionnaires listing 53 criteria sent out to journalists and media observers.

Good old freedom-loving USA tied for 31st place. Finland (which also placed first in a study of most competitive countries), Iceland, the Netherlands, and Norway tied for 1st place.

[kentuck]

1. A little over-rated, don't you think?

:shrug:

[RuB]

2. The United States media is the freest in the world!

Free to tell lies to the American people that is, with impunity and without fear of reprisal.

[Deja Q]

16. Unless you're a Dem, in which case all the pukes

will whine and gripe about "speech with consequences".

x(

Fuck the pukes and not in the good way.

[forgethell]

3. The article

itself complained about the methodolgy. This is not a good statistic, IMO

[BlueEyedSon]

4. The full ranking

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8248

[Brucey]

5. Thanks for the link.

Interesting. The statistics come from what journalists say.

[Paschall]

13. Did ya notice? US of A (in Iraq) ranks 135th!!!

:wow:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. Reality check: Canada 10th

Japan and Israel tied for 44th. :puke: shameful.

[janekat]

7. Wow we're getting worse. Last time we were #26

Give it another 6 months and we'll be #50.

[Paschall]

11. No, in 2002 the US ranked 17th. In 2003, it dropped to 31st

Here's the 2002 ranking:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=4116

[tom_paine]

8. 31st is pretty high, I'd say

They must be factoring in that the truth occasionally appears an page A23 as a correction or occasionally for a wekk in some small local paper or the fact that "journalists" (and I use the term loosely) aren't executed routinely.

Of course the Busheviks don't have to execute anyone. Theratening them with career destruction is ususally enough and combine that with the career advanacements routinely awarded to Bushevik journalists who successfully disseminate lies and launder them.

If you factored in the Party-Loyal Right-Wing Sub-Media propaganda effects (that actually would be a whole nother question...something like "Global rankings for Disinofrmation Allowed to Masquereade as Truth by Mainsteram Sources"), I'm guessing we'd be 50th or 60th and dropping fast.

By that's just my opinion.

[Brucey]

10. For example,

a movie critic in Houston was fired for giving a positive review of Oliver Stone's film about the Kennedy assasination. More recently a disc jockey was fired for playing a song by the Dixie Chicks. Free media in the US?? In my opinion, I'm surprised we scored so high.

[tom_paine]

14. Don't forget the columnist fired for questioning Bunnypants hiding on 9-11

I know there are others...

[JVS]

9. I hate our media anyway, fuck them.

I would like to see for-profit news networks regulated as commercial speech.

[onebigbadwulf]

15. Hey...

At least we're still above Bosnia...barely. :puke:

[BloodyWilliam]

12. We might be one of the few that have them in writing,

But in reality, we're too far behind.

[Swede]

17. Here's a link to the complete list

Oops,someone already posted both.

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8248