Quadriga

Press freedom is under fire. In many parts of the world, the situation has deteriorated over the last 12 months. Journalists have been subject to arrests, assaults and abductions. Some have been tortured and even killed. Despite the Arab Spring, conditions for journalists have not always improved in the Arab world. In Egypt, foreign journalists have sometimes been refused entry and domestic journalists have been deterred from reporting by the use of force.

In totalitarian regimes, bloggers are increasingly the targets of repression. China is one of the worst offenders in this respect. The internet and mobile phones have become important tools for activists demanding freedom and highlighting human rights abuses. Beijing is worried that pro-democracy protests could spread there and has taken steps to tighten control over the flow of information, in particular via the Internet. No other country in the world has as many bloggers and writers behind bars. But the World Wide Web is still a source of hope for press freedom, as it remains difficult to control it completely.

Russiahas also attracted criticism. The Russian government reacted to democratic awakenings ahead of the Presidential election with arrests and censorship. In the wake of the financial crisis, press freedom is also under attack in Europe. Last year, a new right-wing government in Hungary introduced a restrictive media law. And there are concerns that new EU regulations on telecommunication data storage, the internet and copyright law could pose a threat to Europe’s media freedom.

On UN World Press Freedom Day, Quadriga takes stock of the current global situation.

What do you think: Free Press or Free to Repress? Media Under Threat

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