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Democracy Table
Political Rights
Civil Liberties
Rule of Law
Corruption
Human Rights
Methodology
Economic Freedom Table
Freedom
House reports on press freedom in 192 countries
Complete Report
(231KB PDF)
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Beneath this are the Press Freedom rankings for 150 countries
with populations in excess of 1 million. The methodology used by the
authors, Freedom House, is given in the right hand column.
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This survey of 194 countries and territories expands a process conducted since 1980 by
Freedom House. The findings are widely used by governments and international organizations,
academics, and the news media in many countries. The degree to which each country permits the
free flow of information determines the classification of its media as “Free,” “Partly Free,” or
“Not Free.” Countries scoring 0 to 30 are regarded as having “Free” media, 31 to 60, “Partly
Free” media, and 61 to 100, “Not Free” media. The criteria for such judgments and the
arithmetic scheme for displaying the judgments are described below. Assigning numerical points
allows for comparative analysis among the countries surveyed as well as facilitating an
examination of trends over time.
The Criteria: This study is based on universal criteria. The starting point is the smallest,
most universal unit of concern: the individual. We recognize cultural differences, diverse
national interests, and varying levels of economic development. Yet the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights instructs: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right
includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart
information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers (Article 19).
The operative word for this survey is everyone. All states, from the most democratic to
the most authoritarian, are committed to this doctrine through the United Nations system. To
deny that doctrine is to deny the universality of information freedom—a basic human right. We
recognize that cultural distinctions or economic underdevelopment may limit the volume of news
flows within a country, but these and other arguments are not acceptable explanations for
outright centralized control of the content of news and information. Some poor countries allow
for the exchange of diverse views, while some developed countries restrict content diversity. We
seek to recognize press freedom wherever it exists, in poor and rich countries, as well as in
countries of various ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
The operative word for this survey is everyone. All states, from the most democratic to
the most authoritarian, are committed to this doctrine through the United Nations system. To
deny that doctrine is to deny the universality of information freedom—a basic human right. We
recognize that cultural distinctions or economic underdevelopment may limit the volume of news
flows within a country, but these and other arguments are not acceptable explanations for
outright centralized control of the content of news and information. Some poor countries allow
for the exchange of diverse views, while some developed countries restrict content diversity. We
seek to recognize press freedom wherever it exists, in poor and rich countries, as well as in
countries of various ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
Our sources: Our data come from correspondents overseas, staff 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, and a variety of
domestic and international news media. We would particularly like to thank other members of
the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) network for
providing detailed and timely analyses of press freedom violations in a
variety of countries worldwide.
The methodology: Through the years, we have refined and expanded our methodology.
Recent changes to our methodology are intended to simplify the presentation of information
without altering the comparability of data for a given country over the 25-year span, or of the
comparative ratings of all countries over that period.
Our examination of the level of press freedom in each country is divided into three broad
categories: the legal environment, the political environment, and the economic environment.
The legal environment encompasses both an examination of the laws and regulations that could
influence media content as well as the government’s inclination to use these laws and legal
institutions in order to restrict the media’s ability to operate. We assess the positive impact of
legal and constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression; the potentially negative aspects of
security legislation, the penal code and other criminal statutes; penalties for libel and defamation;
the existence of and ability to use Freedom of Information legislation; the independence of the
judiciary and of official media regulatory bodies; registration requirements for both media outlets
and journalists; and the ability of journalists’ groups to operate freely.
Under the category of political environment, we evaluate the degree of political control
over the content of news media. Issues examined in this category include the editorial
independence of both the state-owned and privately-owned media; access to information and
sources; official censorship and self-censorship; the vibrancy of the media; the ability of both
foreign and local reporters to cover the news freely and without harassment; and the intimidation
of journalists by the state or other actors, including arbitrary detention and imprisonment, violent
assaults, and other threats.
Our third category examines the economic environment for the media. This includes the
structure of media ownership; transparency and concentration of ownership; the costs of
establishing media as well as of production and distribution; the selective withholding of
advertising or subsidies by the state or other actors; the impact of corruption and bribery on
content; and the extent to which the economic situation in a country impacts the development of
the media.
The numbers: Each country is rated in three categories, with the higher number being
the least free. A country’s total score is based on the total of the three
categories: a score of 0-30 places the country in the free-press group, 31-60 in partly- free, and 61-100 in the not free-press
group.
LEGEND
Country
Status: Free (0-30)/Partly Free (31-60)/Not Free (61-100)
Legal Environment: 0-30 points
Political Environment: 0-40 points
Economic Environment: 0-30 points
Total Score: 0-100 points
Method and criteria courtesy of Freedom House.
Contact Details for Freedom House
120 Wall Street
26th Floor
New York N.Y. 10005
Tel (212)514-8040
Fax (212)514-8050
1319 18th Street NW
Washington DC 20036
Tel (202) 296-5101
Fax (202) 296-5078
www.freedomhouse.org
fh@freedomhouse.org
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