New: “Freedom of the Press 2016” Report Published by Freedom House, Global Press Freedom at Lowest Point in 12 Years

From the Freedom of the Press 106 Report:

Global press freedom declined to its lowest point in 12 years in 2015, as political, criminal, and terrorist forces sought to co-opt or silence the media in their broader struggle for power.

The share of the world’s population that enjoys a Free press stood at just 13 percent, meaning fewer than one in seven people live in countries where coverage of political news is robust, the safety of journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures.

Key Findings

• Only 13 percent of the world’s population enjoys a Free press—that is, where coverage of political news is robust, the safety of journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures.

• Forty-one percent of the world’s population has a Partly Free press, and 46 percent live in Not Free media environments.

• Among the countries that suffered the largest declines in 2015 were Bangladesh, Turkey, Burundi, France, Serbia, Yemen, Egypt, Macedonia, and Zimbabwe.

Freedom of the Press 2016 Report Resources

Direct to Web Version of Complete Report and Links to Country Reports
Direct to Country Scores Chart
Direct to PDF Version of Report (32 pages; PDF)
Direct to Methodology

Filed under: News, Reports