Wealth doesn't mean free press

2003-10-20 14:11

Paris - The richest countries in the world are not necessarily those with the freest media, and some countries are more respectful of such freedoms at home than abroad, a leading journalists' rights group said on Monday.

Releasing its second World Press Freedom Ranking, the Paris-based group Reporters without Borders (RSF) also took the original step of rating some countries by their behaviour in territories under occupation.

That left the US-led occupation authorities in Iraq at a mediocre rating of 135 out of 166 - even lower than the rating of 124 for the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein, and way below the ranking of 31 for the United States as a country.

In similar vein, the RSF report put Israel at number 146 for its actions in the Palestinian territories, as against a ranking of 44 for Israel on its home turf.

The report, based on a poll of journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists, put four northern European countries - Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway - at the top of its list, running neck and neck as the countries judged to have the freest press.

North Korea was listed at the bottom, ranking 166 out of 166.

Cuba was ranked second to worst at 165, and the report described the country as "the world's biggest prison for journalists."

China was near the bottom, at 161.

Selected rankings:

1 (tied) Finland, Iceland, The Netherlands and Norway (0.50 points)

5 (tied) Denmark, Trinidad and Tobago (1.00)

7 Belgium (1.17)

8 Germany (1.33)

9 Sweden (1.50)

10 Canada (1.83)

11 Latvia (2.25)

12 (tied) Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovakia, Switzerland (2.50)

16 Austria (2.75)

17 (tied) Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand (2.83)

20 Slovenia (3.00)

26 France (4.17)

27 United Kingdom (4.25

31 United States (American territory) (6.00)

44 (tied) Israel (Israeli territory), Japan (8.00)

49 South Korea (9.17)

50 Australia (9.25)

53 Italy (9.75)

56 Hong-Kong (11.00)

71 Brazil (16.75)

74 Mexico (17.67)

79 Kenya (18.50)

103 Nigeria (31.50)

104 Malaysia (32.00)

108 Algeria (33.00)

110 Egypt, Indonesia (34.25)

115 Turkey (35.00)

122 United Arab Emirates, Jordan (37.00)

124 Iraq (37.50)

128 India, Pakistan (39.00)

130 Palestinian Authority (39.25)

134 Afghanistan (40.17)

135 United States of America (in Iraq) (41.00)

141 Zimbabwe (45.50)

146 Israel (Occupied Territories) (49.00)

147 Colombia (49.17)

148 Russia (49.50)

149 Tunisia (50.83)

150 Nepal (51.50)

151 Belarus (52.00)

152 Oman (57.75)

153 Libya (60.00)

154 Uzbekistan (61.50)

155 Syria (67.50)

156 Saudi Arabia (71.50)

157 Bhutan (77.33)

158 Turkmenistan (82.83)

159 Vietnam (89.17)

160 Iran (89.33)

161 China (91.25)

162 Eritrea (91.50)

163 Laos (94.83)

164 Myanmar (formerly Burma) (95.50)

165 Cuba (97.83)

166 North Korea (99.50)

- AFP