Editing Freedom of the press (section)

==Status of press freedom worldwide==
[[File:Can Dündar prix RSF Strasbourg 17 novembre 2015.jpg|thumb|''[[Cumhuriyet]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s former editor-in-chief [[Can Dündar]] receiving the 2015 [[Reporters Without Borders Prize]]. Shortly after, he was arrested.]]
Beyond legal definitions, several [[non-governmental organization]]s use other criteria to judge the level of press freedom worldwide. Some create subjective lists, while others are based on quantitative data:
* [[Reporters Without Borders]] (RWB) ({{Langx|fr|Reporters sans frontières|links=no|italic=no}}) (RSF) considers the number of journalists murdered, expelled, or harassed, the existence of a [[State media|state monopoly]] on TV and radio, as well as the existence of [[censorship]] and [[self-censorship]] in the media, and the overall independence of media as well as the difficulties that foreign reporters may face to rank countries in levels of press freedom.
* The [[Committee to Protect Journalists]] (CPJ) systematically tracks the number of journalists killed and imprisoned in reprisal for their work. It says it uses the tools of [[journalism]] to help journalists by tracking press freedom issues through independent research, fact-finding missions, and a network of foreign correspondents, including local working journalists in countries worldwide. CPJ shares information on breaking cases with other press freedom organizations worldwide through the [[International Freedom of Expression Exchange]], a global network of more than 119 free expression organizations. CPJ also tracks impunity in cases of journalist murders. CPJ staff applies strict criteria for each case; researchers independently investigate and verify the circumstances behind each death or imprisonment.
* [[Freedom House]] studies the more general political and economic environments of each nation in order to determine whether relationships of dependence exist that limit in practice the level of press freedom that might exist in theory. Panels of experts assess the press freedom score and draft each country summary according to a weighted scoring system that analyzes the political, economic, legal and safety situation for journalists based on a 100-point scale. It then categorizes countries as having a free, partly free, or not free press.<ref>{{cite web |title=Summit for Democracy: New Scorecards Highlight State of Freedom in Participating Countries |url=https://freedomhouse.org/article/summit-democracy-new-scorecards-highlight-state-freedom-participating-countries |website=Freedom House |language=en |access-date=2022-08-08 |archive-date=2022-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804225841/https://freedomhouse.org/article/summit-democracy-new-scorecards-highlight-state-freedom-participating-countries |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Annual report on journalists killed and Prison Census ===
Each year, [[The Committee to Protect Journalists]] produces a comprehensive list of all working journalists killed in relation to their employment, including profiles of each deceased journalist within an exhaustive database, and an annual census of [[Incarceration|incarcerated]] journalists (as of midnight, December 1). The year 2017 reported record findings of jailed journalists, reaching 262. [[Turkey]], [[China]], and [[Egypt]] account for more than half of all global journalists jailed.<ref name=":2" />

As per a 2019 special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, approximately 25 journalists were murdered on duty in 2019.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://cpj.org/data/killed/2019/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&start_year=2019&end_year=2019&group_by=location|title=Explore CPJ's database of attacks on the press|website=cpj.org|access-date=2020-03-07|archive-date=2020-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411055558/https://cpj.org/data/killed/2019/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&start_year=2019&end_year=2019&group_by=location|url-status=live}}</ref> The figure is claimed to be the lowest since 2002, a year in which at least 21 journalists were killed while they were reporting from the field.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cpj.org/data/killed/2019/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&start_year=2002&end_year=2002&group_by=location|title=Explore CPJ's database of attacks on the press|website=cpj.org|access-date=2020-03-07|archive-date=2020-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731205259/https://cpj.org/data/killed/2019/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&start_year=2002&end_year=2002&group_by=location|url-status=live}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Reporters Without Borders]] (RSF) reported 49 killings, the lowest since 2003, when almost 36 journalists were killed. Leading press watchdogs fear persisting danger for the life of journalists. The drop in the murder of in-field journalists came across during the "global attention on the issue of impunity in [[journalist]] murders", focusing on the [[Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi|assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi]] in October 2018 and [[Daphne Caruana Galizia]], a Maltese blogger in October 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cpj.org/reports/2019/12/journalists-killed-murdered-syria-mexico-impunity.php|title=Number of journalists killed falls sharply as reprisal murders hit record low|access-date=17 December 2019|website=Committee to Protect Journalists|archive-date=23 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923044431/https://cpj.org/reports/2019/12/journalists-killed-murdered-syria-mexico-impunity/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Press_freedom_2023.svg|thumb|400x400px|'''2023 [[World Press Freedom Index]]'''<ref name=":02">{{cite web |year=2023 |title=2023 World Press Freedom Index |url=https://rsf.org/en/index |work=Reporters Without Borders}}</ref> {{legend|#005f9a|Good: 85–100 points}} {{legend|#8eb0d6|Satisfactory: 70–85 points}} {{legend|#ffb035|Problematic: 55–70 points}} {{legend|#ff3022|Difficult: 40–55 points}} {{legend|#83000b|Very serious <40 points}} {{legend|#dcdcdc|Not classified}}]]
Every year, Reporters Without Borders establishes a subjective ranking of countries in terms of their freedom of the press. The [[Press Freedom Index]] list is based on responses to surveys sent to journalists that are members of partner organizations of the RWB, as well as related specialists such as researchers, jurists, and human rights activists. The survey asks questions about direct attacks on journalists and the media and other indirect sources of pressure against the free press, such as non-governmental groups.

In 2022, the eight countries with the most press freedom are, in order: [[Norway]], [[Denmark]], [[Sweden]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[Ireland]], [[Portugal]], and [[Costa Rica]]. The ten countries with the least press freedom are, in order: [[North Korea]], [[Eritrea]], [[Iran]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Myanmar]], [[China]], [[Vietnam]], [[Cuba]], [[Iraq]], and [[Syria]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2022 World Press Freedom Index {{!}} Reporters Without Borders|url=https://rsf.org/en/index|access-date=2020-12-05|website=RSF|archive-date=2022-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427230843/https://rsf.org/en/ranking|url-status=live}}</ref>

===''Freedom of the Press''===
[[File:World Map of the Freedom of the Press Status, OWID.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|Freedom of the Press status 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Map of the Freedom of the Press Status |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/world-map-of-the-freedom-of-the-press-status |website=Our World in Data |access-date=5 March 2020 |archive-date=17 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417190155/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/world-map-of-the-freedom-of-the-press-status |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
''Freedom of the Press'' is a yearly report by the US-based non-profit organization [[Freedom House]]. It is known to subjectively measure the level of freedom and [[editorial independence]] that is enjoyed by the press in every nation and significant disputed territories around the world. Levels of freedom are scored on a scale from 1 (most free) to 100 (least free). Depending on the basics, the nations are then classified in three types:
1. "Free" 
2. "Partly Free"
3. "Not Free".

=== Democratic states ===
A free and independent press has been theorized to be a key mechanism of a functioning, healthy [[democracy]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Ambrey|first1=Christopher L.|last2=Fleming|first2=Christopher M.|last3=Manning|first3=Matthew|last4=Smith|first4=Christine|date=2015-08-04|title=On the Confluence of Freedom of the Press, Control of Corruption and Societal Welfare|journal=Social Indicators Research|volume=128|issue=2|pages=859–880|doi=10.1007/s11205-015-1060-0|s2cid=153582103|issn=0303-8300}}</ref> In the absence of [[censorship]], journalism exists as a [[Watchdog journalism|watchdog]] of private and government action, providing information to maintain an informed citizenry of voters.<ref name=":3" /> In this perspective, "government efforts to influence published or broadcasted news content, either via media control or by inducing [[self-censorship]], represent a threat to the access of important and necessary information to the public and affect the quality of democracy".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Solis|first1=Jonathan A.|last2=Antenangeli|first2=Leonardo|date=September 2017|title=Corruption Is Bad News for a Free Press: Reassessing the Relationship Between Media Freedom and Corruption: Corruption Is Bad News for a Free Press|journal=Social Science Quarterly|volume=98|issue=3|pages=1112–1137|doi=10.1111/ssqu.12438}}</ref> An independent press "serves to increase political knowledge, participation, and [[voter turnout]]",<ref name=":3" /> acting as an essential driver of civic participation.

===Non-democratic states===
[[File:Georgi gongadse.jpg|thumb|[[Georgiy Gongadze]], [[Journalism in Ukraine|Ukrainian journalist]], founder of a popular Internet newspaper ''[[Ukrainska Pravda]]'', who was kidnapped and murdered in 2000.]]
[[Journalism in Turkey|Turkey]], [[Journalism in China|China]], [[Journalism in Egypt|Egypt]], [[Journalism in Eritrea|Eritrea]], and [[Journalism in Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabia]] accounted for 70% of all journalists that were imprisoned in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=Turkey leads the world in jailed journalists |url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/01/16/turkey-leads-the-world-in-jailed-journalists |newspaper=The Economist |date=16 January 2019 |access-date=27 February 2021 |archive-date=6 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306095938/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/01/16/turkey-leads-the-world-in-jailed-journalists |url-status=live }}</ref> CPJ reported that "After China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, the worst jailers are Eritrea, Vietnam, and Iran".<ref>{{cite news |title=Most Jailed Journalists? China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt Again Top Annual CPJ Report |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/press-freedom_most-jailed-journalists-china-turkey-saudi-arabia-egypt-again-top-annual-cpj-report/6180897.html |work=VOA News |date=11 December 2019 |access-date=27 February 2021 |archive-date=18 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418140754/https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/most-jailed-journalists-china-turkey-saudi-arabia-egypt-again-top-annual-cpj-report |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Reporters Without Borders]], more than a third of the world's people live in countries where there is no press freedom.<ref name=RSF2003>{{cite web |url=http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org/reporters-without-borders-rsf/institution_view |title=Description: Reporters Without Borders |work=The Media Research Hub |publisher=Social Science Research Council |year=2003 |access-date=23 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109153619/http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org/reporters-without-borders-rsf/institution_view |archive-date=9 January 2011 }}</ref> Overwhelmingly, these people live in countries where there is no system of [[democracy]] or where there are serious deficiencies in the democratic process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/press.htm |title=Press Freedom Table (Press Freedom vs. Democracy ranks) |work=Freedom of the Press 2005 |author=Freedom House |publisher=World Audit |location=UK |year=2005 |access-date=23 September 2012 |archive-date=3 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403011636/http://www.worldaudit.org/press.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Freedom of the press is an extremely problematic problem/concept for most non-democratic systems of government since, in the modern age, strict control of [[access to information]] is critical to the existence of most non-democratic governments and their associated control systems and security apparatus. To this end, most non-democratic societies employ state-run news organizations to promote the propaganda critical to maintaining an existing political power base and suppress (often very brutally, through the use of police, military, or intelligence agencies) any significant attempts by the media or individual journalists to challenge the approved "government line" on contentious issues. In such countries, journalists operating on the fringes of what is deemed to be acceptable will very often find themselves the subject of considerable intimidation by agents of the state. This can range from simple threats to their professional careers (firing, professional [[blacklisting]]) to [[death threat]]s, [[kidnapping]], [[torture]], and [[assassination]].
* The [[Lira Baysetova]] case in [[Kazakhstan]].<ref>[http://www.ifex.org/kazakhstan/2002/07/02/editor_s_daughter_killed_in_mysterious/ "Editor's daughter killed in mysterious circumstances"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502162311/https://ifex.org//kazakhstan/2002/07/02/editor_s_daughter_killed_in_mysterious/ |date=2019-05-02}}, International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), 2 July 2002</ref>
* The [[Georgiy R. Gongadze]] case in [[Ukraine]]<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3664494.stm "Ukraine remembers slain reporter"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502041013/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3664494.stm |date=2019-05-02 }}, ''BBC News'', 16 September 2004</ref>
* In [[Nepal]], [[Eritrea]], and [[mainland China]], journalists may spend years in jail simply for using the "wrong" word or photo.<ref name=RSF2003/>