Santo Domingo.– Only 14% of the world population has been reported to live in countries, including the Dominican Republic, with truly active and free press, 42% of states across the world enjoy partial press freedom, and 44% are not free in terms of media objectivity.
The report, released by non-governmental organization Freedom House, includes a country-by-country breakdown showing varying degrees of press freedom worldwide. The ranking is based on factors including legal, political and economic liberty.
The world’s 10 worst-rated countries and territories, with scores of between 90 and 100 points, were Belarus, Crimea, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Freedom House reportputs press freedom at its lowest level in over a decade. It comes just days after the Committee to Protect Journalists published its annual assessment of press freedom around the world, which described a similarly gloomy outlook.
Americas
In Latin America, meaning the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking parts of the region, only three (15 percent) of the countries were rated Free, and just 2 percent of the population lived in Free media environments. Honduras, Peru, and Venezuela experienced significant declines.
Mexico, already suffering from endemic violence, received its lowest score in over a decade. In Ecuador, hostile rhetoric from the government, combined with pervasive legal harassment of journalists and media outlets, led to a two-point decline.
The United States’ score fell by one point due to detentions, harassment, and rough treatment of journalists by police during protests in Ferguson, Missouri.