“Russia is not progressing”
By Sean at 16 October, 2007, 10:20 pm
Number 144. That’s what Reporters sans frontieres ranks Russia in its new annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index. According to RSF, the index is complied from questionnaires sent to 15 freedom of expression organizations and a network of 130 correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists, and human rights activists around the world. The index ranks 169 nations.
Russia’s ranking is surely nothing to be proud of, especially considering Russia’s indexed neighbors. The five states ranked above Russia are Azerbaijan (139), Sudan (140), Singapore (141), Afghanistan (142), and Yemen (143). The five states Russia looks down on are Tunisia (145), Egypt (146), Rwanda (147), Saudi Arabia (148), and Zimbabwe (149). As a whole, being sandwiched between these ten states makes Russia the rotten meat in a moldy press freedom sandwich.
As for why Russia ranked so low, RSF said this: “Russia is not progressing. Anna Politkovskaya’s murder in October 2006, the failure to punish those responsible for murdering journalists, and the still glaring lack of diversity in the media, especially the broadcast media, weighed heavily in the evaluation of press freedom in Russia.” Once again, the Politikovskaya murder hangs over Russia’s international standing like a bit lead albatross.
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Actually Russia did advance did advance three notches up from 2006, when they were ranked 147.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19388
One would have thought that the arrests and other advances in the AP investigation would have been more welcomed and encouraged by RSF, but I’m not inclined to view this ranking as a conspiracy.
Call me biased, but the fact that the U.S. ranks behind countries like Nicaragua, Bosnia, and Romania certainly casts doubt on this survey for me.
How can you rank something as abstract and complicated as “press freedom”?
On the matter of “progress” the BBC (to its credit) noted a recent report on Europe, citing Latvia as last when it comes to respecting minority rights.
As per Reporters Without Borders, that org. has it critics, with the criticisms being similar to those levied on Freedom House. There’s no “conspiracy” regarding that point.
Iceland is no. 1.
Iceland has an entire population of about 300,000 people. Everybody knows each other,
practically. They don’t even have last names. How many media outlets can there be? What’s there to report on? “In today’s news flash, Jon Godmundson was seen leaving a disco with the fetching young Ilsa Eriksdottir. Is it love? Also, there is a sale tomorrow at the Herring Emporium.”
Ah, eg elska ther, Island!
Iceland also has no ethnic tensions to speak of.
Wonder why?
No immigrants? Totally culturally and ethnically homogeneous population? The population of Iceland is almost 100% compsed of descendents of the original 800 Norse colonists and however many Irish slaves they had with them. It’s the most homogeneous population in thr world. It’s remained unchanged since the Dark Ages.
Iceland is a friggin’ weird country that shoukdn’t be in anybody’s comparison with anything.
Perhaps the most “purest” language.
Gotta love the natural hot springs in the cold weather.
I still haven’t forgiven the Danes for their heartless oppression of the Icelanders pre-independence, by the way. I am going to call the US Congress and demand that they denounce Denmark, in the names of Bjork and Haldor Laxness.
Reasons why Iceland is cool:
1. Icelandic and Old Norse are practically the same language. How cool is that? They speak Norse! That is awesome.
2. Who disoovered North America? That’s right — an Icelander.
3. What was the first European baby born in the New Word? Another Icelander.
4. Who were a central part of a medieval trading empire extending all the way from Finland to what is now Canada? That’s right, the Icelanders. And they did this in longboats, with no compasses, in climates where it is colder than hell. In the Middle Ages. That is 1) impressive and 2) cool.
5. Iceland wasn’t Christianized by force of arms — they actually voted on it! (After conversion they retained infanticide though.)
Five reasons why Iceland is cool.
Now we can go back to talking about the media.
Who are the critics of RSF? It is a Paris-based NGO, and unlike Freedom House, it is the last organization that would ever see funding from the U.S. government.
I suppose that whenever a watchdog group makes a conclusion that upsets people, they are bound to attack its credentials.
I believe that RSF, like CPJ, is genuinely committed to protecting journalists, and pressuring governments to improve the legal and regulatory environment for their profession. However if we want to see a sinister agenda, I don’t doubt that there would be any trouble finding the argument. Same goes for many of opposite political beliefs.
That said, these arbitrary indexes go largely unnoticed.
I’ve very dubt over mind Russia meat of other State,It’s change ever minute mind friend.
the index is complied from questionnaires sent to 15 freedom of expression organizations and a network of 130 correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists, and human rights activists around the world.
I’m suggesting to send them to Afganistan. And let them open their mouth there…
It would be interesting to here their opinion about freedom of …whatever after that. I’m aware that we won’t see all of them again but …I don’t give a sh*t.
Iceland is no. 1.
Well, people there can write anything indeed. As long as they write right things. And because everyone knows everyone – it’s not that difficult
))
talar thu islensku, CM?
Hey, you ARE in Iceland!
I studied a little Icelandic ages ago. The only phrase I remember is “eg elska ther.”
Ooh, and “eg er ath elska ther.” (With Latin characters replacing those cool rune symbols.) And just a few other words, like “skith” and “hundur.” Pretty pathetic. 
I should have kept going with it, but it’s not like I had a lot of people to study Icelandic with in Washington DC, where people thought I was crazy for doing such a thing. I tried to explain to them that Icelandic (Norse) was a major literary language in the Middle Ages, and they just didn’t get it. (“Snorri” who?) Imbeciles. 
It is a really interesting language. And Halldor Laxness was a fantastic writer, a genius. Independent People is one of my favorite books, up there with Ulysses.
Well now this thread has been completely derailed.
Funny that. Maybe we should be asking which of these countries are allies of the world’s greatest democracy, and Russia too?
Azerbaijan (139)
US: ally
Russia: ‘Interesting’ relations (Gabala radar base MD thing)
Sudan (140)
US: Enemies
Russia: no comment
Singapore (141)
US: Ally
Russia: no comment
Afghanistan (142)
US – Ally(!)
Russia – major buds,though keeping a VERY low profile, despite the fact that russia has the largest ‘diplomatic’ presence of any foreign country (when Afghanistan was ‘liberated’, 10 Il-76s landed at Kabul/Bagram, full of gear)
Yemen (143)
US: – ???
Russia: ally me thinks
The five states Russia looks down on are
Tunisia (145)
US – Ally(?)
Russia – no comment
Egypt (146)
US: v. big Ally
Russia: ‘normal’ relations I think
Rwanda (147)
US – ally(?)
Russia – no comment
Saudi Arabia (148)
US: Ally
Russia: Has relations, though I gather less so than that with neighbors such as the UAE (they handed back the FSB who blew up the chechen terrorists, after all)
Zimbabwe (149)
US: not flavor of the month
Russia: no comment
Part of the human rights as a propaganda tool mode.
Downgrade Azerbaidjan from ally to ???? Looks like the Deputy Director of the CIA’s recent visit did not come up trumps; http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Analysis_Caspian_meet_and_energy_hopes_999.html
Keeping in mind that Alieve was one of the presidents who attended the recent meeting in Teheran.
Aliev. Pardon misspell.