Freedom of the Press in Decline - VOA Story

Press freedom suffered continued global decline in 2006, with particularly troubling trends evident in Asia, the former Soviet Union and Latin America. A major study of the state of media freedom released today by Freedom House also warned of a growing effort to place restrictions on internet freedom by censoring, harassing, or shutting down sites that provide alternate sources of political commentary.

The study, Freedom of the Press 2007: A Global Survey of Media Independence, showed mixed trends in Africa, as well as a continuation of a longer-term pattern of decline in press freedom in Latin America and the former Soviet Union.

Among the most critical setbacks singled out by Freedom House this year were:

· Setbacks in Asia—notably Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines and Fiji—stemming from coups, political upheaval, insurgency or states of emergency;




· Setbacks in Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil and other Latin American countries, in some cases due to state action, in others due to a deteriorating security environment;

· Aggressive efforts by the Russian government to further marginalize independent media voices, punctuated by plans to regulate the internet;

· Stagnation in the Middle East/North Africa region, bringing to a halt several years of modest progress.

For more information and the complete story, go to:

http://www.freedomhouse.org

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News & Politics

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• Press
• freedom

[Ulrna]

I wouldn’t worry about freedom of press if I were living in the United States. :(

Look what happened to Wikileaks, to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and anyone else who stands up against corruption.. This is the extent of the senate’s commitment to constitutional and humanitarian rights.

[GCRU486]

English Translation of my post;

Opposition radio, and televisions stations have been shut down.  Most of the specialist who worked in the oil fields have left the country. Those workers who stayed have seen their wages cut by 90% by Hugo Chavez Frias the new dictator of Venezuela. God save Venezuela - death to tyrants - soon Venezuela will be free again.

[GCRU486]

La radio de la oposición, y las estaciones de television han sido cerrados. La mayor parte del especialista que trabajó en los campos del petróleo ha dejado el país. Esos trabajadores que permanecieron han visto su corte de sueldos por 90% por Hugo Chavez Frias el nuevo dictador de Venezuela. Dios ahorra Venezuela - la muerte a tiranos.