RP Still One of the Worst Press Freedom Violators

Ranking drops because of harassment, killings
RP Still One of the Worst Press Freedom Violators

The Philippines is still one of the worst press freedom violators in the world, according to an annual report released recently by the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiéres (RSF).

RSF’s 2006 World Press Freedom Index, ranked the Philippines 142nd, three places down from its place last year. The drop represents the latest downward movement in the index by the country which ranked 89th just four years ago. This ranking further fell to 118th in 2003 and to 111th in 2004.

According to the report, increased legal harassment by the government and continuing media killings contributed to the Philippines’s dismal ranking.

RSF compiled the index by asking 14 partner-organizations advocating freedom of expression, its network of 130 correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists, and human rights activists to answer 50 questions about the state of press freedom in their countries.

The index covered 168 nations. Others were not included for lack of data.

Asia still down
North Korea continues to hold on to the lowest rank. China (163rd) has dropped four places. Although its media outlets are more numerous and aggressive now, repression carried out jointly by the government’s departments of propaganda and public security has reportedly increased. Censorship has been stepped up, penalties increased, many news websites shut down, and physical attacks have escalated.  One journalist was killed by police.

Seven Asian countries are in the bottom 20 in the index and none in the top 20. Burma, which slipped to 164th place, had seven journalists imprisoned, 11 arrested and prior censorship enforced. Pakistan (157th), despite fairly outspoken media outlets, has been the scene of kidnappings of journalists and physical attacks by police or intelligence agents.

But Vietnam (155th) moved up three places, though it continues to stifle freedom of expression online. Bangladesh (137th) moved up slightly, with fewer journalists killed, though more than 80 cases of censorship were recorded. Laos (156th) remained in the same position, with its media obeying the information ministry’s orders.

Some of the lowest-ranking countries fell even lower. Singapore (146th) slipped six places because of new legal action by the government against foreign media.

The young democracies of East Timor (83rd) and Mongolia (86th) tumbled down the index due to physical attacks against and threats to journalists.

‘Mohammed cartoon’ fallout
From first place in the World Press Freedom Index last year, Denmark dropped to no. 19 because of serious threats against the authors of the Mohammed cartoons published there in 2005. For the first time in recent years in a country that has respected civil liberties, journalists had to have police protection due to threats against them because of their work.

Yemen (149th) slipped four places, mainly because of the arrest of several journalists and the closure of newspapers that reprinted the cartoons.

Journalists were harassed for the same reason in Algeria (126th), Jordan (109th), Indonesia (103rd), and India (105th).

But except for Yemen and Saudi Arabia (161st), all the Arab peninsula countries considerably improved their rankings.  Kuwait (73rd) kept its place at the top of the group, just ahead of the United Arab Emirates (77th) and Qatar (80th).

War takes toll
From 56th place, Lebanon fell to 107th in the index, as the country’s media continue to suffer from the region’s political volatility. A series of bomb attacks took place in 2005 and Israel attacked the country this year.

The Lebanese media—considered among the freest and most experienced in the Arab world—desperately needed peace and guarantees of security.  The inability of the Palestinian Authority (134th) to maintain stability in its territories and the behavior of Israel (135th) outside its borders seriously threatened freedom of expression in the Middle East.

In Sri Lanka, fighting between government and rebel forces contributed to the drop in the country’s ranking from 51st in 2002 to 141st this year. Dozens of Tamil journalists were physically attacked after being accused by both sides of bias.—RSF

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