U.S. Rank on Press Freedom Slides Lower

US RANK ON PRESS FREEDOM SLIDES LOWER
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Nora Boustany]
Some poor countries, such as Mauritania and Haiti, improved their record in a global press freedom index this year, while France, the United States and Japan slipped further down the scale of 168 countries rated, the group Reporters Without Borders said yesterday. The news media advocacy organization said the most repressive countries in terms of journalistic freedom -- such as North Korea, Cuba, Burma and China -- made no advances at all. The organization's fifth annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index tracks actions against news media through the end of September. The group noted its concern over the declining rankings of some Western democracies as well as the persistence of other countries in imposing harsh punishments on media that criticize political leaders.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/23/AR2006102301148.html
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