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In the Worldwide Press Freedom Index of 166 Countries, China is among the Seven Bottom-ranked Countries
(Clearwisdom.net October 23) VOA reports from Hong Kong: a new report by
the group "Reporters Without Borders" reports that many Asian
countries do not respect press freedom. The report makes a list of countries
according to their respect for press freedom. The list does not necessarily
parallel economic success, with several rich countries achieving low marks. The report was compiled from questionnaires given to journalists, academics,
researchers, and human rights activists in all countries surveyed. It is the
group's second annual report. China still does not have press freedom China is saying it has loosened controls on its media, but Mr. Cheesman says
the country's laws still violate basic press freedom. He says,
"Structurally there is not any real change in China, we cannot say there
has been much in terms of liberalization of the existing laws or the structure
that manages the media. However, the way the media is operating now is changing
considerably. There is an increasing role for the market forces in the way the
media operates, as a result, the links to the (communist ruling) party are
weakening. " Asia has some bright spots Reporters Without Borders points out that several Asian nations lack press
freedom, but the report also indicates some pleasant phenomena in Asia. On the
list, South Korea took the 49th place, while Hong Kong stood at 56,
not far behind the United States, which ranked in the low thirties. Northern
European nations dominate the top-10 ranks as those with the freest media. Posting date: 10/30/2003
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