Annual press freedom report finds Asia toughest continent for journalists

North Korea, Nepal, Burma and China remain hostile environments for journalists, while East Timor and India see improvements

By Ananth Krishnan
AsiaMedia Staff Writer

Friday, October 28, 2005

Asia is the most unfavorable continent for media organizations and their journalists, who often struggle to exist -- let alone function -- at the mercy of their governments.

This is one of the many findings of the Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index, compiled by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a non-governmental organization that monitors press freedoms around the world.

The Index measures the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in each country in the past one year, taking into account legal rights of the press, violations against journalists and the overall attitude of authorities towards the media.

This year's Index finds that Asia remains the most difficult continent for journalists, with North Korea ranked 167th, at the very bottom of the list.

East Asia remains a particularly hostile environment for press freedoms, with Burma (163rd), China (159th), Vietnam (158th) and Laos (155th) all appearing at the lower end of the list.

"We’re factoring in Vietnam and specifically China, which has the largest prison for cyber dissidents with 60 imprisonments," says Tala Dowlatshahi, the U.S. representative for RSF. "The Chinese government is also placing demands and restrictions on U.S. corporations in China."

The Chinese government has also clamped down on media mentions of phrases like "democracy," "human rights," "Taiwan independence" and "Dalai Lama," and has blocked access to many websites using these terms, Dowlatshahi adds.

In Burma, the state jailed journalists and exercised torture campaigns during the past twelve months.

North Korea continues to be the biggest "black hole" for news for the second straight year because people have absolutely no access to any media or information outside state channels.

Nepal, placed 160th on the Index, is fast joining North Korea as another journalistic black hole. As many as 150 journalists were arrested by King Gyanendra’s government within the first ten days of September, according to RSF. Journalists -- especially those supporting the government -- have also been killed, kidnapped and threatened by Maoist rebels.

According to the report, killings of journalists also increased in the Philippines (139th on the Index), where President Arroyo’s government has been hostile to media organizations that sought to expose corruption.

However, the Asian press landscape still remains a source of some optimism.

The relatively high position of East Timor (58th) on the Index -- just 14 places behind the United States -- contradicts the often-made argument that economic development is a necessity for democratic freedoms.  The freedom enjoyed by the press in East Timor has also belied the insistence of authoritarian states that it takes at least several decades to establish democratic freedoms in a state.

"In East Timor, there is a fluid upwardly mobile media," says Dowlatshahi. "Separating from Indonesia has allowed East Timor to engage in a free and open media system; it has cut off its old historical links with Indonesia."

The media is the first and most important instrument in promoting democracy, Dowlatshahi adds. Like the Ukraine, which also recently went through a political revolution, East Timor enjoys open exchange within the media.

Indonesia (102nd) itself has recorded significant improvements, according to RSF. Peace accords have allowed Aceh to open up to journalists, which in turn has allowed for better media exchange and a proliferation of online media in Indonesia.

India (106th) also faired relatively well on the Index -- improving 14 places since the 2004 report. The country has an abundance of media organizations and a press that is enjoying greater access to high government officials.

"There are still pockets in India where minorities are restricted," warns Dowlatshahi. "But overall it is very independent. Women reporters can even describe cases of trafficking of female workers from Nepal to Mumbai."

Pakistan, meanwhile, has shown no improvements over the past year, remaining 150th on the Index.

"Still, it is to be kept in mind that the Index is relative," Dowlatshahi adds. "The performance of a country is measured only in comparison to other countries."

You can see the full text of the Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2005 on the RSF website.

Date Posted: 10/28/2005