PARIS - World press freedom deteriorated in
2015, especially in the Americas, advocacy group Reporters Without
Borders said Wednesday as it released its annual rankings, warning of "a
new era of propaganda".
This year's World Press Freedom Index saw a decline in all parts of the world
The World Press Freedom Index ranks 180 countries on
indicators such as media independence, self-censorship, the rule of law,
transparency and abuses.
This year's index saw a decline in all parts of the world,
Christophe Deloire, secretary general of the Paris-based group told AFP,
with Latin America of particular concern.
"All of the indicators show a deterioration. Numerous
authorities are trying to regain control of their countries, fearing
overly open public debate," he said.
"Today, it is increasingly easy for powers to appeal
directly to the public through new technologies, and so there is a
greater degree of violence against those who represent independent
information," he added.
"We are entering a new era of propaganda where new
technologies allow the low-cost dissemination of their own
communication, their information, as dictated. On the other side,
journalists are the ones who get in the way."
The situation was particularly grave in Latin America, the
report said, highlighting "institutional violence" in Venezuela and
Ecuador, organised crime in Honduras, impunity in Colombia, corruption
in Brazil and media concentration in Argentina as the main obstacles to
press freedom.
Among the lowest ranked countries were Syria, at 177th place
out of 180, just below China (176th) but above North Korea (179th) and
last placed Eritrea.
Japan slumped to 72nd due to what the watchdog identified as
self-censorship towards Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while Finland
retained its top spot for the sixth consecutive year, followed by the
Netherlands and Norway.
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