United States Drops To 46th In Press Freedom Rankings

[matthewf]

[valerief]

1. Here's the link.

http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php

[heaven05]

2. with our so-called free and democratic country

we should be first in the world. figures with 'news' being spewed by right wing corporate tools running our information media. Thank goodness for democratic underground, democracy now, truthout, truthdig, raw story, slate, crooks and liars, daily beast, ring of fire, and a host of sites like democrats.org, salon, ect.

[JDPriestly]

3. Can't recommend this video enough. It is a must see for all DUers.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. Imagine if Canada sent reporters into the South. How many would be beaten and deported?

[Diclotican]

5. matthewf

matthewf

Below Romania - one of the poorest country in Europa - that is something to be impressed of i guess

Diclotican

[Jack Rabbit]

7. Romania's come a long way since the fall of Ceaucescu

When I voted for Obama in 2008, I thought he would bring us back from the Frat Boy leading down that path. Bush, after all, didn't lead us that far down. It should have been much easier.

Now, we only seem to have gotten lost deeper in the woods than ever before.

It isn't just the government persecuting whistle blowers. It's control of news outlets by corporate totalitarians. What does it say when there's too little coverage of a 100,000 marcher strong pro-democracy demonstration in North Carolina? Did I just write "pro-democracy demonstration" in an American state like it was China or Iran? It seemed so natural when rolled off the keyboard, but so ironic reading it back. It's also the virtual news blackout of information about the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Pass that piece of tyranny and pro-democracy demonstrations will be held from coast-to-coast.

Any way, Matt, I hope no sophist attacks you for trying to elect Republicans by questioning what Obama does. You're just the messenger with bad news.

[Diclotican]

8. Jack Rabbit

Jack Rabbit

Romania have been coming a long way since 1989, thats true - but it have a LONG WAY yet to climb as the country is still one of the poorest country, with a few hiccups here and there when it comes to minorities and people who are not what the majority want it to be.. They still treat their handicaps rather bad there - even though they treat them better today than they did when the state run hospitals was opened after the revolution, and the rest of the world could look behind the cover - to the naked truth.. It was BAD back then... But still far from perfect...

Bush damaged a lot when he was in Office - not the international standard the rest of the world had about the US - that alone was bad enough - but he did more to damage the US too - and that will take a LONG TIME to repair - far more than two periods of President Barack H. Obama can ever try to accomplish - Even FDR was elected 4 times - to make mend to the damage the Republicans did last time they almost destroyed the country... And FDR was even directing how a World War should be won...

It's kind of ironic - that people have to make rallies for democracy, in a county who claim to be the best democracy in the world - if I asked one of my face book friends - who is a die-hard republican - former pilot in your USAF - and a pain in the infamous ass when it comes to politic - US have the greatest democracy in the world - and that the rest of the world just had to shut it up - and accept the leadership of the US - and this was in the days when Jr was making havoc to the world from 2000 to 2008... For everyone else it was a nightmare - but also a source to much humor - as President Bush jr, was not exactly the smartest card in the stock - and was able to say things that one should believe a grownup had stop doing for a long time... (My friend, might be an ass - but on a personal level he is a good person - but when it comes to politic, he hold no prisons.... But then, neither do I)

Media is important - if you have the power of the media - you also have the possibility to make the decision who people will know - and how it will be served - I read about the more than 10.000 strong demonstration, for democracy of all things in North Carolina - here on DU - but have never seen it other places - at least not american places..

And by the way, my name is not Matt - and I would NEVER have voted for a republican for the best of my life, if I was able to vote in a an general election in the US...

Diclotican

[bvar22]

6. 46th??.... That high?

I thought we would be worse than that.

[Diclotican]

9. bvar22

bvar22

I would think 46th is bad enough.... Below ROMANIA - one of the poorest country's in Europe - thats bad I would say...

Diclotican

[bvar22]

10. Forgot the /sarcasm

My Bad.


/sarcasm

[Diclotican]

11. bvar22

bvar22

I know

Diclotican

[bvar22]

15. There was a time in my memory when we were #1 or close to #1 in Freedom of the Press.

That was before the bi-partisan Corporate Coup (Reagan/Clinton) that allowed a handful of the RICH to buy up all the outlets.
"Investigative Journalism" used to be a highly contested competitive market.
Now it is GONE,
and with the exception of The Christian Science Monitor and Rolling Stone,
I don't trust ANY of them.

When the best and most insightful Political Commentary is limited to The Comedy Channel (Jon Stewart),
then we are in deep trouble that reminds me of when I was a child, and TASS was the "official" news outlet for the Soviet Union.

IT is not that bad here yet (or we wouldn't be reading the report that we are 46th),
but we are heading in that direction.


Building on what Ronald Reagan started, Bill CLinton signed the death warrrant for NEWS in 1996
when he signed [The Telecommunications Act giving our NEWS to the Rich & Powerful.

[Diclotican]

16. bvar22

bvar22

Yeah - In the past - it look like a long way back now - the US was indeed close to the top when it came to freedom of the Press - where american journalists was respected all over the world - and also feared for their insight into troublesome cases - even your own government was afraid of what your journalists could dig up from where it was hiding - no one was over the rule of law ....

It is indeed a sad state of affairs when you get more insightfully commentary from John Stewart on The Comedy Channel - than you get from your evening news - who is owned by the 1 percent by the way....

And as you point ut - the value of news stories in the US, is similar to what TASS was back in the days when USSR was still around - TASS and Pravda who was two of the official papers in the USSR was more known as as possible and valuable use as toilet paper - as it was often a shortage of toilet paper both in the USSR, and in the Eastern block itself (I know by experience how bad, what they said was toilet paper really was - after the first experience we always had toilet paper from back home when we visited eastern europe in the mid to late 1980s....

Diclotican

[lunasun]

12. Proud and Free!!!

what other news than that do you need???

[blkmusclmachine]

13. I don't think we're up that far.

[matthewf]

14. Thanks, everybody! n/t