U.S. ranks 36th on press freedom list.
By on Oct 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
U.S. ranks 36th on press freedom list.
Reporters Without Borders today released its annual Press Freedom Index. Despite purporting “to be a beacon for the rest of the world” for human rights protections and freedom of thought, the U.S. has been ranked 36 out of 173 countries — a spot also shared by Bosnia and Herzegovina. Iceland ranked number one in press freedom, with Ghana, Slovenia, Trinidad and Tobago, Surinam, and Jamaica also ranking higher than the U.S. The report singled out “wars carried out in the name of the fight against terrorism” as a cause for the steep decline in press freedoms around the world.
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from today’s Tomgram:
The Roman historian Tacitus famously put the following lines in the mouth of a British chieftain opposed to imperial Rome: “They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger… they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor… They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses, and all of this they hail as the construction of empire. And when in their wake nothing remains but a desert, they call that peace.”
Or, in the case of the Bush administration, post-surge “success.”
‘Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose’
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm-Kris Kristofferson
Maybe if we give the Republicans another 8 years we can make 173.
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 pmFreedom of press is anti-american.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:01 pm“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:01 pmOne of the big troubles with the notion of “press freedom” and “freedom of the press” in 21st century America, is that a few obscenely rich individuals and their corporations control vast sections of our news media. The corporate Republican ruling class has been heavily propagandizing the American people since the early 1990s, picking up speed with the relentless right-wing attacks on President Clinton. It has been all downhill in the 21st century with the destruction of our Democracy and the Republican theft of the Presidency in December 2000.
Republican corporations are still happily “counting the votes” in many American elections. Pennsylvania seems ripe for GOP theft with electronic voting machines and not even a paper trail… See blackboxvoting.org and bradblog.com for detalis.
We need to return to 100% hand-counted paper ballots in all of our elections. This is what is done in Canada, Ireland and Sweden, Denmark and Norway and in many other countries.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:03 pmIceland ranked number one in press freedom
Yes, when the country’s bankrupt and you’re poking around at the yard sale, the press there might well be “free” for the taking.
<*Bah-da-bump> Just a jab at those “separationists” from an old Norski….
Seriously, folks, I just flew in from Los Angeles, and boy are my….
The press in the U.S. is broken. Aside from the lack of freedom, they don’t even have the courage (and the wherewithall) to do any serious reporting even when they’re permitted to do so. Just check out CNN International against the same company’s domestic product….
Cheers,
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:06 pmReporters Without Borders
– - Wait, doesn’t your copy just run off the side of the page then?
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pmPress freedom? Is that the freedom by the corporate media to lie their asses off for the Republican cause? They’re number one! They’re number one!
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:11 pmReally??? Where do we rank in dumbing down our nation??? Where do we rank in telling the truth???
Where do we rank in confronting guests when they spew out lies on News programs.
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO CALL OUT THE LIERS THAT FILL OUR AIR WAVES??????
Don’t believe me….HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU WANT TO THROW YOUR SHOES AT THE TV BECAUSE OF THE BS THAT WAS BEING SAID WITHOUT ANY ONE CORRECTING THE ANSWER.
Every reported should be like a lawyer….only ask questions that you know the answers to!!! Lets see if someone is lying or telling the truth for starters.
BRING BACK THE FAIRNESS ACT…IT WAS TAKEN AWAY TO DUMB DOWN THIS NATION AND TO SET UP PROPIGANDA MACHINES.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:14 pmSorry for the spelling errors….I mad as hell about the MSM. Thank god we have the internet to flush out the BS people say and do.
YOU CANT RUN , YOU CANT HIDE ….WE HAVE GOOGLE, YOUTUBE , AND THE INTERNET!!!
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:17 pmO tempora! O mores! O big media!
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pmWe’re at 36, but what score do we have to reach before we declare that the “terrorists have won”?
You can’t declare that “terrorists want to change our way of life” in the same breath that you claim that “9/11 changed everything”.
Bush = Fail
I was talking to a Republican yesterday who said that he was most worried about Obama having a “Trifecta” (wonder when he learned that word) by having the Whitehouse, Congress and Supreme Court and that he believes “strongly in checks and balances”.
Sometimes it feels like we all live in 2 separate Universes while occupying the same space. ‘Worldview’ is weird.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:20 pmOh, those silly ol’ “Liberal” Press Media, they hate America, those stinky “Liberals” are Communist, or Socialist, or America Haters, or Anti-American, something like that….
….the press has been a corporate whore for many many years now, rarely is there any real reporting anymore, and Faux Spews is the worst of the Propaganda stations.
It’s about entertaining couch potatoes to sell product for the sponsors, nothing else.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:29 pmExplanation?
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:31 pmI can only see CNN International here.
OBEY
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:37 pm“Explanation?
I can only see CNN International here.”
I’m set to International myself, but everytime I look at the strictly US site, it comes across like a tabloid w/ funny animal stories and a strong focus on entertainment (Britney Spears) etc. That’s probably what zuch was talking about.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:37 pmI just watched a little of Chris Matthews on his Fluffball show on MSNBC and he said that McCain had, by in large, been successful in separating himself from Bush. Of course, this is just wild absurd BS, but that’s what passes for “news” in America in 2008.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:39 pmIf you want some real truth, listen to Amy Goodman on her Democracy Now radio/TV show. She is probably the closest to the truth, and it is quite depressing, naturally.
I am able to watch the Russia Today news show in the SF Bay Area on KMTP. They are much closer to the truth than the American corporate television shows. If you can’t watch it, go to http://www.russiatoday.com for some interesting viewpoints.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:42 pmWe’re number
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:49 pmOneThirty Six!!We’re number
OneThirty Six!!We’re number
OneThirty Six!!Was this before, or after, Bible Spice’s SS detachment started keeping the press in cages?
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:55 pm#14 Sven Ortmann (what kind of name is that?):
Explanation?
I can only see CNN International here.
Over here, you get foaming racist Glenn Beck, the execrable “Wolf” Blitzer (who’s never seen a war he didn’t like), and 24X7 Anna Nicole Smith or Missing White Woman. You get their “Hot Breaking Story: ACORN engages in fraud!!!, for which ‘reporting’ they just cut’n'pasted an Republic National Committee “talking points” fax.
It really is terrible.
Cheers,
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:26 pm— Arne Langsetmo
As long as your nation totally flips at the sight of a nipple in the superbowl . . . . the media will be afraid to antagonize their customers.
Just a thought.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:26 pmWe sometimes have interesting discussions in my small and not so important country, like Is it OK to have copies of Hitler’s Mein Kampf (his book My Struggle) in public libraries. Many people support the idea that the only way to really get to know how utterly disgusting Hitler’s ideas were, is to be able to study them in full. I support that idea.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:36 pmBlitzer with his strange room and the distracting instrumental music background in interviews is also on CNN International.
The best about his show are Roland Martin and Cafferty.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:50 pmTracy_5. I owe you an apology for addressing you as stupid troll. I should realize that, when one says troll, the stupid is implied.
BTW, troll. If you measure your quality of life by your access to Reichradio? You really need to make an effort to improve your life. Not to mention that the dreaded “fairness doctrine” doesn’t mean what you think it means. Your favorite fascists can still support or endorse whoever the heck they want. They just can’t advertise one to the exclusion of others.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 pmI wonder. How does a troll feel about the Secret Service preventing the press from pursuing their Constitutional duty at Bible Spice’s rallies?
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:02 pmRelated Posts:
Media Threaten Boycott Over McCain-Palin Campaign’s Efforts To Restrict Access
yeaaah… whatever happened to that?
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:25 pmTracy__5 Says:
If Obama is elected and Pelosi gets her way with the come back of Fairness Doctrine you will see the U.S. raking drop even further. When the Fairness Doctrine was in effect talk radio had less the 100 outlets now it has well over 1000.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
So once again you show that you dont know what you are talking about, well you never do, why not cough up the press freedom ranking from when we still HAD the fairness doctrine and see if it is lower because I seem to remember it was HIGHER. You of course just toss out your delusional fantasy based on nothing but a bias pulling idiocy directly out of your rectal database to make a claim that you not only cant back up but that makes no sense. Linking it to how many political shows are on AM radio was a particularly stupid bit of non sequitur
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 pm.
We’re #
136…We’re #
136…We’re #
136….
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 pmI’ve been put in moderation on this thread . . . the irony.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 pmIt must be the hyper-link . . its your site . . . and I really like it.
Keep up the great work!
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 pm.
Tracy__5 Cheetos Fingers Troll,
It is better to remain silent while others ponder your ignorance,
than it is to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt!
.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 pmHey Folks: We even caught up with South Africa.
Time to celebrate !
October 24th, 2008 at 4:14 pmTracy__5 Says:
You really are a moron and dont know how this works. Try a logic class some day. Better start at a third grade level otherwise it will be far above your head moron. Since YOU made the claim it is YOUR obligation to back it up. See this is how it DOESNT work in rhetoric and debate YOU make some baseless assertion then tell everyone else to prove you wrong. My GOD you are ignorant. The fact there are more rightwing propaganda shows are IRRELEVANT to the press freedom rankings, that should be obvious. What did Pravda have to do with press freedom? You just pulled BS directly from your rectal database and expected us to take it seriously. First of all you are a moron nothing you just say is taken seriously second your whole assertion is not only baseless it doesnt make sense. There is NO first amendment issue with the fairness doctrine the Supreme Court said that directly in the Red Lion decision. Once again you just show that you NEVER know what you are talking about. Also that you are really stupid
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