Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organization, has published its annual Freedom of the Press Report on 179 countries throughout the world. Democratic nations hold the first places with regard to press freedom, with the northern European countries of Norway, the Netherlands and Finland topping the list, while countries with dictatorships (notably North Korea, Turkmenistan and Eritrea) are at the bottom.
Negative trends with regard to freedom of the press are linked to poor legislation in this area, underscoring the fact that democracies offer better protection with regard to the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information in comparison to countries in which human rights are often disregarded if not suppressed. After the changes brought about by the “Arab spring,” attempts to restore this freedom can be read as a sign of a “return to normality.”
For the first time, Reporters Without Borders has also published an Index regarding media freedom throughout the world. This new instrument can help to measure the overall freedom of information worldwide and how the world’s governments are performing with regard to this basic right.