Freedom Of The Press 2004 ― A Global Survey Of Media Independence

In a atmosphere of befuddled embedded journalists, conspiring politicos, loutish spin doctors, and ever-more-farcical press releases, it is reassuring to note that someone is taking names. Here, assessors take score of the legal, political, and economic environments of the press in 192 countries and one territory. We find some surprises: Italy has been graded down from "free" to "partly free" due to higher media concentration and increased political pressure, both Belgium and Iceland enjoy greater freedom of the press than the US, and the largest democracy in the world, India, has a press rated only "partially free." Although they find a few bright spots, the assessors note a marked decline in freedom of the press in the Americas, Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union, and especially in faltering democracies and countries in transition. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports democratic change, monitors freedom, and advocates for democracy and human rights.