Whilst many of us in the UK may moan about media coverage of certain events and issues, we should remember that at least we have the right to safely voice our dissatisfaction with things.
Residents of other countries aren’t so lucky…
Every year the World Press Freedom Index (WFPI) ranks countries based upon the degree of freedom that journalists, news organizations and the general population have.
The results are based on seven general criteria:
- Pluralism (measures the degree of representation of opinions in the media space)
- Media independence.
- Environment and self-censorship.
- Legislative framework.
- Transparency
- Infrastructure
- Abuses
So let’s take a look at the countries with most freedoms and those with the least…
Countries With the Most Media Freedoms
- Norway
Norway has ranked top of the World Press Freedom Index for the past five years.
Its broadcast TV channels are dominated by NRK and TV2. NRK is government-owned and until 2022, 94% of its funding came from a compulsory licence fee payable by TV owners. TV2 is a commercial channel.
Most of the Norwegian press is privately owned and self-regulated; however, the state provides press support.
Norway is also one of the world’s most connected countries, with 98% of the population using the internet.
- Ireland
Ireland has jumped from 15th in rankings in 2019, up to 2nd place in 2023.
Ireland has a competitive print media, and newspapers remain popular. According to the National Newspapers of Ireland and Joint National Readership Survey 91% of Irish adults regularly read newspapers, this is compared to just 51% in America.
Ireland’s biggest Sunday newspaper, the Sunday Independent, has over a million readers a week, quite considerable considering Ireland only has only 1.9million households.
Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) is the public service broadcaster of Ireland and is funded by a licence fee and advertising.
Radio listenership is also very high in Ireland, with figures suggesting around 85% of adults tune in to local, regional or national stations each day.
- Denmark
Denmark has been a mainstay at the top of the World Press Freedom Index, ranking 5th, 3rd, 4th, 2nd and now 3rd on the list over the past five years.
Like its Scandinavian cousin Norway, the internet is the media platform used by most Danes, with more traditional media such as print and broadcast on the decline.
However despite its relatively small population of just under 6million people, Denmark has eight national newspapers, five national radio stations and eight regional TV channels.
- Sweden
Sweden has also held a stable position in the top five countries for press freedom, being ranked 3rd or 4th for the past five years.
Sweden’s reputation for press freedom is probably older than anywhere else, in fact in 1766 it was the first country in the world to adopt a press freedom law.
Unlike Denmark and Norway online media isn’t quite at the front when it comes to the most popular medium for media in Sweden. That accolade goes to TV, although online media follows very closely behind.
Four companies and five TV channels dominate television viewing and the government subsidises newspapers regardless of their political stance.
- Finland
Finland is the fourth Scandinavian country in the top five countries by media freedom. It actually ranked 2nd in the list from 2019 to 2021 but slipped to 4th for the past two years.
Finland was under Swedish rule in 1766, when Sweden passed the world’s first law prohibiting censorship, so it too has a long history of press freedom.
Finland is the leading EU country in terms of press readership, with 58% of Finns saying they read a press title daily.
The public broadcaste Yle is funded by an annual tax, and it operates alongside privately-owned radio and TV networks.
The rest of the top 10…
- Netherlands
- Lithuania
- Estonia
- Portugal
- East Timor
Countries With the Least Media Freedoms
- North Korea
It probably isn’t a surprise to see that North Korea comes at the very bottom of the list of countries with regards to media freedoms. It has been either bottom or second from bottom of the list for each of the past five years.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the government’s official mouthpiece, is the only permitted news source for North Korea’s media.
The Government is very strict about unsanctioned media consumption and accessing phones, computers, televisions, radios or media content that are not sanctioned can result in very severe punishment.
In December 2020, the North Korean government adopted the “DPRK Law on rejecting reactionary ideology and culture”.
Under this law, distributing media originating from South Korea, the US, or Japan can result in the death penalty and simply watching such content can result in up to 15 years in a prison camp.
- China
China has also been in the bottom five of the list for each of the past five years, and according to Reporters Without Borders the country was the biggest jailer of journalists in 2022 with over 100 put behind bars.
All major Chinese media groups are state controlled, and the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party sends a detailed notice to all media every day that includes editorial guidelines and censored topics.
In the first decade of the 21st century, there were signs that the media was opening up, but things changed in 2012 when Xi Jingping became the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary.
From then on media censorship has been stepped up and the CCP is said to be considering passing a law to ban all private investment in the media, which would tighten the regime’s grip on the media even more.
- Vietnam
All Vietnamese media is controlled by the Communist Party of Vietnam, and all press is state-owned to some degree.
Prior to 2000 there were only two state-owned TV channels in the country, but since the turn of the Millenium numerous international channels have become available. However they are broadcast with a ten minute delay so censors can stop any broadcast that they consider politically sensitive.
Also internet service providers can only connect to the Internet at points controlled by the state.
Vietnam is the third biggest jailer of journalists according to Reporters Without Borders, with 42 journalists currently in prison.
- Iran
Iran has long been renown as one of the world’s most repressive countries, this is despite Article 24 of its constitution ‘guaranteeing press freedom’.
However extra stipulations were put in place in1986, and again in 2000 and 2009 to take account of online publications, that allow the authorities to ensure that journalists do not “endanger the Islamic Republic”, “do not offend the clergy and the Supreme Leader” and do not “spread false information”.
The country’s own media is controlled by the Islamic regime, and news and information from media outlets based abroad is extremely restricted.
Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, can order the arrests of journalists and sentence them to long prison terms, and even the death penalty.
As of today 21 journalists are detained in Iran.
- Turkmenistan
The landlocked Central Asian country of Turkmenistan has been in the bottom five countries for press freedoms for each of the last five years. It has improved slightly from 2019 when it was at the very bottom of the list.
Nevertheless, the media in Turkmenistan is controlled entirely by the state, so criticism of the president is forbidden all outlets not reflecting official views are eliminated.
Residents of Turkmenistan have no access to worldwide information sources on the internet and risk a significant fine if they try to use a VPN.
The rest of the bottom 10…
- Syria
- Eritrea
- Myanmar
- Cuba
- Bahrain
The UK ranks a respectable 26th on the 180-country list. To view the full list visit the Reporters Without Borders website.
Having a free and fair media is an essential pillar to any true democracy. Journalists effectively act as the eyes and ears of the public, and is essential they can report on matters of public interest without fear of arrest or any form of interference,
A free press:
- Fights for the truth.
- Holds power accountable.
- Informs voters and strengthens democracy.
Studying Journalism at North Kent College
At North Kent College we offer a number of Creative Media courses, including Digital Journalism.
The course offers a hands-on approach towards journalism and covers a variety of practices including creative and factual feature writing, blog creation, and media law and ethics.
If you are interested in upholding a free and fair media, and would like to work in the industry you can find out more by visiting the Creative Media subject page of our website.