One of the worst things that can happen to the media is forced censorship, or otherwise being forced to not fully disclose ongoing events.
According to Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization in Washington, DC focused on freedom and democracy, the freedom of the media is at its lowest point in 12 years.
The group’s mission is to “analyze the challenges to freedom, advocate for greater political rights and civil liberties, and support frontline activists to defend human rights and promote democratic change. Founded in 1941, Freedom House was the first American organization to champion the advancement of freedom globally.”
The group attributed the problem to “political, criminal, and terrorist forces sought to co-opt or silence the media in their broader struggle for power.”
Many of the threats facing journalists present themselves in the Middle East, Latin America, North Africa, and South Asia. Many other places are becoming problematic for journalists, not only those heard on the nightly news.
As listed in an annual report of countries and the freedom of the press, scores are given to countries with varying levels of censorship, beginning at at 0 (the most free nations) to 100 (the least free nations).
Some of the worst offenders include China, scoring an 87; Iran with 90; Uzbekistan with 95; and Turkmenistan with 96. North Korea scored the highest, with 97 out of 100 for the most censored media.
Just as there were geographical clusters of the most censored countries, the least censored are also clustered, many of them in Northern Europe.
Norway was rated the freest with a 9, Sweden and Denmark close behind with 11 and 12, respectively.
Jennifer Dunham, research director for the Freedom House report mentioned, told the New York Times that “journalists in much of Europe had to contend with new threats from terrorists as well as new surveillance and security laws that could hamper their work.”
The report also noted that in addition to new laws and targeted violence, politicians and members of the government have verbally attacked reporters.
“Political leaders in Poland, Serbia, and other countries sought greater control over national media,” said Dunham.
The lengthy and detailed report mentioned many cases of additional sexual violence towards female reporters. In some countries, threats or acts of violence against women are denied the relation to the field of work.
The report stated that at least four female reporters were killed in 2015 while covering corruption and drug-related violence. In the first two months of 2016, three more female reporters have been found dead. Homosexual and transgender journalists have also faced gender-based discrimination and sexualized violence.
The appraisal came from a collection of essays written, though statistical trends did not accompany the evaluation.
The report also noted that problems were more severe in the Middle East, where governments and militias increasingly pressure journalists and media outlets to take sides, creating an “us versus them” dichotomy and further demonizing those who refuse.
One of the most dangerous elements of the Middle East is the Islamic State (IS), known to attack journalists in the past. IS has shown that they need no media; they use social media as a propaganda tool.
In countries like Egypt, government-owned and some private media outlets only show pro-government pieces.
Freedom House reported recently that despite potential harm or death, “journalists and bloggers have shown resilience. Often at great risk to their lives, they strive to transmit information to their communities and the outside world, and circulate views that contradict those promoted by governments or extremist groups.”
The 2015 report stated that the six most dangerous topics for journalists to cover are organized crime, corruption, environment and land development, religion, disputed territory, and criticism of governments.