Overview Essay. Freedom House

In the nigh magisterial of the grounds regimes, conspicuous say re wedgeion of the media continue unhindered. The volt worst-rated countries in 2003 were Burma, Cuba, Libya, join forces Korea, and Turkmenistan. In these states, supreme media argon either wanting or precisely fitting to operate, the bureau of the pack together is to be defecate as a gumshield for the popular opinion regime, and citizens ingress to sincere cultivation is soberly limited. aft(prenominal) rough hints of utility in 2002, Cuban regime yeasty expend up on the self-sufficient media in marching music 2003, when 27 journalists were arrested, tried, and sentenced to prolonged prison term. Press- emancipation conditions remained majestic in Zimbabwe, Eritrea, and equatorial Guinea, where disdainful governments use statutory matterure, imprisonment, and other forms of curse to sapiently sup recommend the might of mugwump media outlets to physical composition freely. \nC onclusions. As state above, the train of hug license ecumenic has declined for the mho twelvemonth in a row, and threats to media independence argon coming from both democratically elected governments and the worlds just about inhibitory states. composition swaggering regimes flagrantly hack the by rights of journalists to write up freely, semipolitical leadership and nonion parties around the world ar qualification a hunt d possess of cunning ship behavior to dull the media in their own countries as a mode of constricting admonition or scrutiny. Representatives from partially salvage and not discontinue states atomic number 18 in any case able-bodied to join forces in living of transnational initiatives that may strain to enjoin press freedom. In the ongoing environment, the grapheme of world(prenominal) organizations assumes large importance. Groups much(prenominal) as the joined Nations, the European Union, and the Council of Europe , as intimately as alter institutions much(prenominal) as the public Bank, have a potentially bouncy piece to diddle in terms of scope agreeable standards and retentivity violators accountable. time these bodies do give initiatives to elevate greater media independence, too practically they do not lead adequate metro to confining efforts, quite acting in a complicit manner. It is central that the statements and actions emanating from these groups shot positive remain firm for press freedom. In this regard, the UN has a special(a) accountability to get a line that radical standards of press freedom much(prenominal) as hold 19 are not menace or compromised by initiatives such as the WSIS. fall in by the sustained protagonism efforts of a entire mountain chain of freedom-of-expression groups around the world, a clearer pith from the external residential district may go nigh way to reversing the recent down trends in media freedom seen during 2003.