Press Freedom | Opinion
The global press freedom declines for a seventh straight year and deterioration occurring for the first time in every region, according to Freedom House's annual media study. The rollback was not confined to traditionally authoritarian states, with Israel, Italy and Hong Kong slipping from the study's Free category to Partly Free status. Out of the 195 countries and territories covered in the study, 70 (36 percent) are rated Free, 61 (31 percent) are rated Partly Free and 64 (33 percent) are rated Not Free. The survey found that only 17 percent of the world's population lives in countries that enjoy a Free press. The world’s worst-rated countries continue to include Burma, Cuba, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea and Turkmenistan.
