Editing Freedom of the press (section)

===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/>