New
York, May 2, 2012–Dictatorial control over news coverage, achieved through
a combination of propaganda, brute force, and sophisticated technology,
define the world’s top 10 most
censored countries the Committee to Protect Journalists found in a
new report issued to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria top the list, underscoring that
domestic restrictions on information have broad implications for global
geopolitical stability.
“In
the name of stability or development, these regimes suppress independent
reporting, amplify propaganda, and use technology to control rather than
empower their own citizens,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
“Journalists are seen as a threat and often pay a high price for their
reporting. But because the Internet and trade have made information global,
domestic censorship affects people everywhere.”
CPJ’s
report details how censorship works in each nation and highlights some
trends among the censored countries, including disputed legitimacy of
leadership and lagging economic development. In Eritrea, only state media is allowed to
operate and the international press has been shut out, according to CPJ’s
report. North Korea’s official news
agency produces all content for local media, while foreign reporters have
limited access and are always under surveillance. Syria has imposed a
blackout on independent news coverage for more than a year, unleashing a
range of physical and electronic attacks while disabling means of
communication. The list of top 10 nations is rounded out by Iran, Equatorial Guinea, Uzbekistan, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Belarus.
The
new rankings, which update alist published in 2006,
was determined according to 15 benchmarks assessed by CPJ experts. These
include the blocking of websites, restrictions on electronic recording and
dissemination, the absence of privately owned or independent media,
restrictions on journalist movements, jamming of foreign broadcasts, and
blocking of foreign correspondents, among others. All countries on the list
met at least 10 benchmarks. CPJ also considered Azerbaijan, Ethiopia,
China, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam — allheavily censored nations that
call for scrutiny.
The
report is available in Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. CPJ also published a video counting down the top 10 most
censored countries with a brief outline of their restrictions.
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CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization
that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.
