press freedom

[brionon]

I heard today that the USA is 50th in the World for Press Freedom. I find this hard to believe. Does anyone know where I can find the Statistics on this,please ?

[WaldoMcFroog]

I think this may be it:

http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=6 39

You're right not to believe it though. They're 53rd. ;-)

[noxlumos]

Pleased to see that Ireland is third, makes me very happy even if the UK being 28th is a little disappointing. The US have never had a free press unfortunatly and things seem to be getting a whole lot worse.

[brionon]

But I've heard they call themselves,'The Land of the Free';and habitually greet visitors to their shores with remarks such as, ''How does it feel to be in a Free Country''.
I am really suprised.

[brachiopod]

We tend to think of an unfree press as being subject to political / governmental pressures.
In the US, it is the "free market" economy that creates the infringement on freedom of the press.
"If you run that story, my company will pull all our advertising from your paper, and from every one of your sister papers across the country".
Anything deemed 'Anti-American' - (such as reporting on the coffins of US soldiers returning from Iraq) - can provoke the anger of someone or other - and through organised campaigns, put pressure on the item to be dropped.

It happens across all types of media - there are well documented cases of television programmes being dropped from networks because of orchestrated campaigns by (for example) the religious Mid-West.
They don't bother with indignant letters to the television company, they go straight to the big advertisers (the Kellog's, Wal-Marts and Coca-Colas of this world) and say - "If you advertise during (*this programme*), we will boycott your product."
Net result? The advertisers fear isolating a large, organised section of their market. They express their concerns to the TV network / newspaper / Media Group, who worry about the loss of advertising revenue from their major 'sponsors' and - hey presto! - anything remotely contraversial is dropped.
Freedom US style.
(And, no this is not US-bashing - I haven't even started about what goes on here in the UK!!)

[brionon]

I heard on 'Have I got news--' that George Galloways answer when asked how many times he had met Saddam,that he had met him the same amount of times as Rumsfeld {?} with one difference ,he {R} was selling Saddam weapons. was not reported in the American press. If this is true ,it seems like Political pressure doesn't it ?

[Grunty]

There are many examples of matters that have not appeared in the US national press. But some of the worst stories relating to the US elections appeared in local US papers. If anyone wants to read the magnificent speech mentioned by brionon, it is here: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0517-35.ht m