“Obama Effect” cited for climb in World Press Freedom Ranking

The global press freedom group Reporters Without Borders released its annual World Press Freedom Ranking today moving the United States up to number 20 from 40 last year. Barack Obama’s election as president was cited for the increase.

The group said at a press conference held at the Overseas Press Club in New York today, “The President has a less hawkish approach than his predecessor.”  The Bush Administration’s First Amendment and global press freedom violations following the September 11th attacks were highlighted by the group and include: the US Patriot Act, attacks on the confidentiality of sources, the federal shield law, phone tapping, jailing of journalists in Iraq and Afghanistan and the detention in the US of both foreign and national correspondents.

“Journalists do not get put in jail as they used to in the national security era under George Bush” said Clothilde de Coz, Washington Director of Reporters Without Borders.”But it was still a big year for US reporters, as five were held in foreign countries.”

The list of the five held include Stephen Farrell and David Rhodes from the New York Times, Laura Ling and Euna Lee from Current Television, and Roxana Saberi from NPR and Fox news.

The highest profile cases of US detention of national correspondents include the jailing of Judith Miller from the New York Times and Matthew Cooper from Time magazine in 2005. Miller and Cooper were held for refusing to comply with subpoenas requiring them to testify in the federal investigation into the source of the leak that “outed” CIA operative Valerie Plame. Both journalists later identified White House Adviser to Karl Rove,  Lewis “Scooter” Libby as the “source,” but only after Miller spent 85 days behind bars. She resigned from the Times a month later.

Representatives from Reporters Without Borders said the countries ranking among the poorest globally for muzzling the press include China, Iran and North Korea. “China is the world’s biggest prison for journalists.”

The Iranian government was blamed for the massive detention of both foreign and national reporters during the election coup in the country this past June. Many journalists still remain behind bars–but the total rounded up during the elections include reporters from Newsweek, BBC, the Washington Times and over 30 journalists from Iranian press. Many are believed to have been subjected to serious methods of torture while in detention.

John Solomon, Executive Editor at the Washington Times said he had to recently negotiate the release of one of his reporters in Iran. Solomon was also interrogated under the Bush Administration when officials seized his mail in 2001 in response to some of his critical news reports of the administration.

“We still need to test Obama’s commitment to transparency–there are still great challenges ahead of us.”

Angela Kocherga, a journalist with the Latin American news station Belo said Mexico should not be ignored either for its violations. Fifty-five journalists have been murdered in the country to date. Many of these reporters died while covering drug cartels and trafficking over the United States border.

John R. Macarthur, President of Harper’s Magazine and moderator of the press conference, said “Mexico now seems more dangerous than being in Iraq.”

Ali Alnaemi, former newsroom manager for the New York Times in Baghdad said there has been some change in terms of press freedom in the country. With Facebook and other online social networking sites, Iraqis are slowly opening up to the press in the country.

“When the American media used to interview Iraqis, most thought they were part of the CIA or US military. Now they understand they are independent of their government,” Alnaemi added. “But we still have a long way ahead of us.”

For a full copy of the World Press Freedom Index, go to: http://www.rsf.org/en-classement1003-2009.html