U.S. Falls in Press Freedom Rankings

As noted by Slate, Reporters Without Borders annual Press Freedom Index shows the US slipping to 47^th in the world, a ranking below Lithuania, El Salvador, Botswana, and Taiwan. Police treatment of the press as they tried to cover the Occupy Wall Street protests is cited as contributing to the slip downward for the US.  The Index places  Eritrea, Turkmenistan, and North Korea at the bottom of the rankings and notes significant declines in press freedom in countries such as Malawi, Uganda, and Cote d’Ivoire.  Due to high level of violence resulting in the deaths of three journalists and bloggers, Brazil dropped 41 places to 99th overall, the largest drop among Latin American countries.

JFB