Freedom of the Press (report)

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.

Freedom of the Press status 2017.[1]
Changes in Freedom of the Press Classifications 1989–2015[3]
Percentage of countries in each classification by year
  •   
    Not Free
  •   
    Partly Free
  •   
    Free

Methodology

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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

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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
Country Rank Score Status
  Norway 1 8 Free
  Netherlands 2 11 Free
  Sweden 3 11 Free
  Belgium 4 12 Free
  Denmark 5 12 Free
  Finland 6 12 Free
   Switzerland 7 13 Free
  Luxembourg 8 14 Free
  Andorra 9 15 Free
  Iceland 10 15 Free
  Liechtenstein 11 15 Free
  Palau 12 15 Free
  Costa Rica 13 16 Free
  Estonia 14 16 Free
  Monaco 15 16 Free
  Marshall Islands 16 17 Free
  Portugal 17 17 Free
  Saint Lucia 18 17 Free
  San Marino 19 17 Free
  Canada 20 18 Free
  Ireland 21 18 Free
  Barbados 22 19 Free
  Jamaica 23 19 Free
  New Zealand 24 19 Free
  Germany 25 20 Free
  Czech Republic 26 21 Free
  Lithuania 27 21 Free
  Micronesia 28 21 Free
  Saint Kitts and Nevis 29 21 Free
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 30 21 Free
  Australia 31 22 Free
  Austria 32 22 Free
  Bahamas 33 23 Free
  Cyprus 34 23 Free
  Malta 35 23 Free
  Slovenia 36 23 Free
  United States 37 23 Free
  Uruguay 38 24 Free
  Dominica 39 25 Free
  Taiwan 40 25 Free
  Trinidad and Tobago 41 25 Free
  United Kingdom 42 25 Free
  Vanuatu 43 25 Free
  France 44 26 Free
  Grenada 45 26 Free
  Latvia 46 26 Free
  Slovakia 47 26 Free
  Belize 48 27 Free
  Cape Verde 49 27 Free
  Japan 50 27 Free
  Solomon Islands 51 27 Free
  Tuvalu 52 27 Free
  São Tomé and Príncipe 53 28 Free
  Spain 54 28 Free
  Suriname 55 28 Free
  Chile 56 29 Free
  Mauritius 57 29 Free
  Papua New Guinea 58 29 Free
  Samoa 59 29 Free
  Kiribati 60 30 Free
  Tonga 61 30 Free
  Italy 62 31 Partly Free
  Namibia 63 32 Partly Free
  Ghana 64 33 Partly Free
  Israel 65 33 Partly Free
  Antigua and Barbuda 66 34 Partly Free
  Poland 67 34 Partly Free
  South Korea 68 34 Partly Free
  Timor-Leste 69 35 Partly Free
  Benin 70 37 Partly Free
  Mali 71 37 Partly Free
  Mongolia 72 37 Partly Free
  Guyana 73 38 Partly Free
  Romania 74 38 Partly Free
  South Africa 75 38 Partly Free
  Burkina Faso 76 41 Partly Free
  Croatia 77 41 Partly Free
  El Salvador 78 41 Partly Free
  Panama 79 41 Partly Free
  Bulgaria 80 42 Partly Free
  Dominican Republic 81 42 Partly Free
  Hong Kong 82 42 Partly Free
  India 83 43 Partly Free
  Fiji 84 44 Partly Free
  Greece 85 44 Partly Free
  Hungary 86 44 Partly Free
  Montenegro 87 44 Partly Free
  Philippines 88 44 Partly Free
  Botswana 89 45 Partly Free
  Malawi 90 45 Partly Free
  Peru 91 45 Partly Free
  Argentina 92 46 Partly Free
  Nauru 93 46 Partly Free
  Brazil 94 47 Partly Free
  Senegal 95 47 Partly Free
  Kosovo 96 48 Partly Free
  Mozambique 97 48 Partly Free
  Comoros 98 49 Partly Free
  Indonesia 99 49 Partly Free
  Serbia 100 49 Partly Free
  Seychelles 101 49 Partly Free
  Georgia 102 50 Partly Free
  Albania 103 51 Partly Free
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 104 51 Partly Free
  Côte d'Ivoire 105 51 Partly Free
  Lesotho 106 51 Partly Free
  Nigeria 107 51 Partly Free
  Haiti 108 52 Partly Free
    Nepal 109 52 Partly Free
  Niger 110 52 Partly Free
  Bolivia 111 53 Partly Free
  Mauritania 112 53 Partly Free
  Somaliland 113 53 Partly Free
  Ukraine 114 53 Partly Free
  Sierra Leone 115 54 Partly Free
  Tunisia 116 54 Partly Free
  Nicaragua 117 55 Partly Free
  Lebanon 118 56 Partly Free
  Moldova 119 56 Partly Free
  Colombia 120 57 Partly Free
  Togo 121 57 Partly Free
  Bhutan 122 58 Partly Free
  Guatemala 123 58 Partly Free
  Kenya 124 58 Partly Free
  Madagascar 125 58 Partly Free
  Tanzania 126 58 Partly Free
  Uganda 127 58 Partly Free
  Guinea-Bissau 128 59 Partly Free
  Paraguay 129 59 Partly Free
  Afghanistan 130 60 Partly Free
  Congo (Brazzaville) 131 60 Partly Free
  Kuwait 132 60 Partly Free
  Liberia 133 60 Partly Free
  Sri Lanka 134 61 Not Free
  Bangladesh 135 62 Not Free
  Maldives 136 62 Not Free
  Armenia 137 63 Not Free
  Zambia 138 63 Not Free
  Republic of Macedonia 139 64 Not Free
  Mexico 140 64 Not Free
  Algeria 141 65 Not Free
  Pakistan 142 65 Not Free
  Cameroon 143 66 Not Free
  Ecuador 144 66 Not Free
  Guinea 145 66 Not Free
  Honduras 146 66 Not Free
  Morocco 147 66 Not Free
  Kyrgyzstan 148 67 Not Free
  Singapore 149 67 Not Free
  Jordan 150 68 Not Free
  Malaysia 151 69 Not Free
  Cambodia 152 70 Not Free
  Qatar 153 70 Not Free
  South Sudan 154 70 Not Free
  Central African Republic 155 71 Not Free
  Gabon 156 71 Not Free
  Iraq 157 71 Not Free
  Oman 158 71 Not Free
  Angola 159 73 Not Free
  Myanmar 160 73 Not Free
  Chad 161 74 Not Free
  Zimbabwe 162 74 Not Free
  Brunei 163 76 Not Free
  Turkey 164 76 Not Free
  Djibouti 165 77 Not Free
  Egypt 166 77 Not Free
  Libya 167 77 Not Free
  Thailand 168 77 Not Free
  United Arab Emirates 169 78 Not Free
  Rwanda 170 79 Not Free
  Somalia 171 79 Not Free
  Venezuela 172 81 Not Free
  Congo (Kinshasa) 173 82 Not Free
  Belarus 174 83 Not Free
  Russia 175 83 Not Free
  Swaziland 176 83 Not Free
  Vietnam 177 84 Not Free
  Palestine 178 84 Not Free
  Burundi 179 85 Not Free
  Kazakhstan 180 85 Not Free
  Laos 181 85 Not Free
  Yemen 182 85 Not Free
  Ethiopia 183 86 Not Free
  Saudi Arabia 184 86 Not Free
  Sudan 185 86 Not Free
  Bahrain 186 87 Not Free
  China 187 87 Not Free
  Tajikistan 188 87 Not Free
  The Gambia 189 87 Not Free
  Azerbaijan 190 90 Not Free
  Iran 191 90 Not Free
  Syria 192 90 Not Free
  Cuba 193 91 Not Free
  Equatorial Guinea 194 91 Not Free
  Crimea 195 94 Not Free
  Eritrea 196 94 Not Free
  Uzbekistan 197 95 Not Free
  North Korea 198 98 Not Free
  Turkmenistan 199 98 Not Free
  Key:
  Not Free (scores 61–99)
  Partly Free (scores 31–60
  Free (scores 0–30)

Americas

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Asia-Pacific

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Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union

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Middle East and North Africa

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Sub-Saharan Africa

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Western Europe

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See also

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References

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  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
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