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Human Rights Commissioner: Critical examination of freedom of the press and media
On the publication of the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, Human Rights Commissioner Markus Löning gave the following statement today (30 January):
The Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders is an independent indicator. Each and every government should avail itself of this opportunity to critically examine freedom of the press and media in its own country.
I find the rankings for Turkey (154) and Russia (148) unsurprising. Both urgently need to improve their situations.
Even in some EU countries, however, freedom of the press is unfortunately not sufficiently guaranteed. Bulgaria, for example, is ranked at number 87. Self-censorship and a high concentration of media ownership are typical there.
I call on all governments worldwide to guarantee freedom of the press in their countries and to protect journalists from persecution.
Background:
Today (30 January) Reporters Without Borders is publishing the current Press Freedom Index. The Index compares the situation of the media in 179 states and regions up until the end of November 2012. Among the top countries are European states, whereas countries such as Eritrea, North Korea and Turkmenistan have been at the bottom of the league for years.
