Marginal improvement in Phl press freedom noted

WASHINGTON – Press freedom improved marginally in the Philippines in 2010 though the country was still troubled by the murder and intimidation of journalists, a Freedom House report said.

The report, Freedom of the Press 2011: A Global Survey of Media Independence, said of 196 countries examined, the Philippines ranked in 93rd place with a score of 46 points, two points better than the previous year when the country was ranked in 97th place.

“The score for the Philippines recovered somewhat, having dropped in 2009 due to that year’s Ampatuan massacre, which claimed the lives of 32 journalists and media workers,” said the report issued on Monday to mark Press Freedom Day.

“Nevertheless, the country was still troubled in 2010 by the murder and intimidation of journalists and impunity for such crimes remained the norm,” it added.

The International Federation of Journalists said five Filipino journalists were killed in 2010 and identified them as: Edwin Segues (dxSY radio), Desidario Namangan (Sonshine radio), Joselito Agustin (dzJC radio), Nestor Bedolido (the Kastigador) and Edison Flamenia (Mindanao Inquirer).

The global survey of media independence found that only 15 percent of the world’s inhabitants live in countries with a free press, the lowest percentage since 1966 when Freedom House began incorporating population data into its findings.

It said the proportion of the world’s population with access to a free press declined to its lowest level in over a decade in 2010 as repressive governments intensified their efforts to control traditional media and developed new techniques to limit the independence of rapidly expanding Internet-based media.

South Korea and Thailand were singled out as among the countries to experience significant declines in press freedom.

Of the 196 countries and territories assessed, 68 (35 percent) were rated free, 65 (33 percent) were rated partly free, and 63 (32 percent) were rated not free.

The Asia-Pacific region as a whole exhibited a relatively high level of press freedom in 2010, with 14 countries and territories rated free, 13 rated partly free, and 13 rated not free.

Freedom House assigns a numerical ranking to each country based on the legal environment in which media outlets operate, political influences on reporting and access to information and economic pressures on content and the dissemination of news.

Each country in the rankings receives a score from 0 (the most free) to 100 (the least free) which serves as the basis for an overall press freedom designation of free, partly free, or not free.

Finland was at the top of the latest ranking with 10 points, followed by Norway and Sweden with 11 points each. At the bottom in 196th place was North Korea with 97 points.

Not one of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was deemed to have a free press.

Two – the Philippines and Indonesia – were rated partly free while the rest – Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar – were rated not free.

Freedom House is a Washington-based independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of print, broadcast and Internet freedom around the world, and advocates democracy and human rights.