Reporters Without Borders, an organization chartered with upholding Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (the freedom to communicate), has published its first-ever Worldwide Press Freedom Index, ranking the degree to which free media and speech rights exist in 139 countries.
The United States, home of the First Amendment and all that jazz, ranks #17 on the list – two spots below Costa Rica but three above Ecuador.
The Index was compiled after conducting a 50-question survey on an undetermined number of journalists, academics and legal folk about the range of restrictions placed on media around the world.
Reporters Without Borders says the U.S. ranks 17th “mainly because of the number of journalists arrested or imprisoned there. Arrests are often because they refuse to reveal their sources in court. Also, since the 11 September attacks, several journalists have been arrested for crossing security lines at some official buildings.”
Among America’s immediate neighbors, Canada ranks #5 on the list while Mexico comes in at #75. The United Kingdom shares the status of being the 21st most media-friendly country with Benin and Uruguay.
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