Israel Loses Prized 'Free' Press Status; Kuwait Tops Arab World

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Israel's media freedom ranking has been downgraded from "free" to "partly free," the first time the Jewish State has lost its status as the only Middle Eastern nation with a "free" press.

In a report released over the weekend to coincide with World Press Freedom Day today, Washington-based non-profit Freedom House lowered Israel's rank from 59 to 72 out of 195 countries surveyed, citing restrictions on journalists' freedom of movement, increased self-censorship during wartime and "biased reporting."

The report found the Middle East to have the lowest level of press freedom in the world, with three in every four Middle Easterners living in one of 15 "not free" Middle Eastern nations.

Only four Middle Eastern countries – Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt – were deemed "partly free" by the organization, receiving rankings of 72, 115, 118 and 128 respectively, out of the 195 countries surveyed.

The Palestinian Authority and Libya received the least favorable ratings among the many Middle Eastern nations, to receive the "not free" rank, coming in respectively at 184 and 190.

"Although transnational broadcast media and Internet-based forms of information dissemination have had a positive impact," the report read, "media environments in the region are generally constrained by extremely restrictive laws concerning libel and defamation, the insult of monarchs and public figures, and emergency rule."

more

[dalaigh lllama]

1. Wonder if the U.S. free press ranking is available here

hmmm...

[Howardx]

2. "biased reporting."

haha thats gotta hurt.

[azurnoir]

3. No the PA scored worst

and that will be the "talking point"

[Howardx]

6. haha

yes im sure, totally level playing field and all...

[Behind the Aegis]

4. It should, but I guess it never dawned on you that Israel was still more free in press...

...and less biased than the other ME media. Y'know, sources used here all the time. :eyes:

[LeftishBrit]

5. Sadly, the level of press freedom seems to be going down worldwide.

http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=811

[Jefferson23]

7. That is true and I keep wondering how much worse can it get.

[IndianaGreen]

8. The Middle East has 'the lowest level of press freedom in the world.'

To that I will add that the Middle East, and West Asia have the lowest level of religious freedom on Earth. Practicing the wrong religion, or even the wrong branch of a religion, can get you killed.

[Scurrilous]

9. Haaretz reporter Amira Hass arrested upon leaving Gaza

<snip>

"Israel Police on Tuesday detained Haaretz correspondent Amira Hass upon her exit from the Gaza Strip, where she had been living and reporting over the last few months.

Hass was arrested and taken in for questioning immediately after crossing the border, for violating a law which forbids residence in an enemy state. She was released on bail after promising not to enter the Gaza Strip over the next 30 days.

Hass is the first Israeli journalist to enter the Gaza Strip in more than two years, since the Israel Defense Forces issued an entry ban following the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in a 2006 cross-border raid by Palestinian militants.

Last December, Hass was arrested by soldiers at the Erez Checkpoint as she tried to cross into Israel after having entered the Gaza Strip aboard a ship run by peace activists from Europe.

Upon discovering that she had no permit to be in Gaza, the soldiers transferred her to the Sderot police.

When questioned, Hass pointed out that no one had stopped her from entering the Strip, which she did for work purposes.

Hass was released then under restriction, and Nahmani said her case would be sent to court."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084996.html