More And More People Say Media Freedom In Their Country Is Declining

In anticipation of World Press Freedom Day, a new poll by Gallup found that people around the world think their media is becoming less free. Out of adults polled from 132 countries, a median of 26 percent of people said they did not have media freedom in 2013.

A median of only 63 percent said that they felt a lot of freedom, representing a new low since 2010.

Of the countries polled, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Gabon and Syria had the lowest perceived media freedom, respectively, according to their residents. 69 percent of adults polled in the Congo said that the media is not free -- a 21 percent change since 2010. Syria, the fourth most unfree nation on the list, was the deadliest place for journalists in 2013 for the second year in a row, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. At least 70 journalists were killed in 2013 worldwide, 29 of whom died covering the crisis in Syria.

On the opposite end, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany had the highest perceived media freedom, with 95 percent of residents in the Netherlands reporting strong media freedom. 85 percent of Americans reported feeling free, while 14 percent said they did not.