North Korean journalists least free, Canada ranked 21

Reporters Without Borders shows a slide among Western democracies

Arla Latto-Hall, The Cord Weekly (Wilfrid Laurier University)

WATERLOO, ON. (CUP) — In the 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index recently released by international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, The Democratic People’s Republic of (North) Korea finished an unsurprising dead last.

According to the report, the nation’s secret police are continuing to send dissident journalists to concentration camps under the direction of Dictator Kim Jong-Il.

On a positive note, the report tied eight northwestern European countries, including Denmark, Finland and Iceland, as most free. The top 10 countries are all European, consistent with last year’s results.

Other trends in the Index include a slide among Western democracies, a rise in African and Latin American press freedom and continued trouble in both Asia and Iraq.

North Korea ranked 167th, qualifying it as the least free country for the press. It also ranked last in the 2004 report. Eritrea (166) and Turkmenistan (165) rounded out the bottom three.

Those at the bottom were described as “black holes,” where privately owned media and freedom of the press and expression do not exist. In these countries, journalists are propaganda agents of the government with little to no editorial independence.

The report also contradicts some commonly held beliefs about how long it takes a free press to develop. Although authoritarian leaders claim democracy takes time to establish, the Index shows that of the states that have regained independence within the last 15 years, nine rank among the top 60 countries. Slovenia ranked 9th, Estonia 11th and Lithuania tied with Canada at 21st.

Although the highest rankings are composed of rich countries, several poor ones are also among the top 60, refuting the claim that economic development is necessary for democracy. These regions include Benin (25), Mali (37) and Bolivia (45).

Although South Korea ranks first in the Asian continent at 34th, the region is still most difficult for journalists. Nepal’s king has implemented censorship and arrested more than 150 journalists within the first 10 days of September 2004. Although China has begun to privatize some of its media, dozens of sensitive issues are forbidden. Cyber-dissidents have been sought out and imprisoned.

Canada ranked 21st in the report, the highest ranking for a non-European country, after slipping three places from last year due to court decisions weakening source confidentiality, turning some journalists into “court auxiliaries.”

Canada got in trouble with the organization after the RCMP raided Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O’Neill’s home. In November of 2003, The Citizen ran a front-page story written by O’Neill about the RCMP investigation of Maher Arar, the Syrian-born Canadian who was deported and tortured under suspicion of engaging in terrorist activity. The Mounties were after O’Neill’s source, who leaked vital information to her regarding the case.

Canada still ranks above the domestic United States, however, which sits in 44th place. The U.S. has fallen 20 places since the 2004 Index, mostly due to the imprisonment of New York Times reporter Judith Miller and new legal restrictions on the ability of journalists to protect their sources.

The report ranked countries based on a questionnaire addressing issues affecting journalists — murders, imprisonments, physical attacks and threats, and news media — censorship, confiscation of issues, searches and harassment.

Abuses attributed to the state, armed militias, clandestine organizations and pressure groups are also taken into account. The 2005 report covered abuses from Sept. 1, 2004, to Sept. 1, 2005.

Some countries were not included in the list for lack of credible data, and rankings do not reflect the quality of the press.

The organization’s aim is to advocate journalists’ freedom from imprisonment or murder and to promote privately-owned media organizations, both of which are rare in countries under the thumb of despots.