Global press freedom declines, according to Press Freedom-2016 report
Freedom House international organization published Press Freedom-2016 report showing the results of 199 countries around the world in 2015.
According to the report, global press freedom declined to its lowest point in 12 years in 2015, as political, criminal, and terrorist forces sought to co-opt or silence the media in their broader struggle for power.
The share of the world’s population that enjoys a Free press stood at just 13 percent, meaning fewer than one in seven people live in countries where coverage of political news is robust, the safety of journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures.
Armenia remains within the range of 60-100 points, which is a non-free category. The report makes it clear that Armenia remains among partly free countries. Concerning Internet, Armenia is among those with complete Internet Freedom.
In the Notable Declines section, Azerbaijan and Turkey are mentioned. Azerbaijan declined due to the brutal and so far unsolved murder of a prominent journalist, as well as increased restrictions on foreign journalists surrounding the European Games in June. Turkey declined due to the imprisonment of media personnel on fabricated charges related to national security, throttling of internet service after major news events, severe restrictions on foreign journalists including imprisonment and deportation, recurrent violence against media personnel and production facilities, and abrupt changes in media regulations.
According to the source, only 13 percent of the world’s population enjoys a Free press—that is, where coverage of political news is robust, the safety of journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures. Forty-one percent of the world’s population has a Partly Free press, and 46 percent live in Not Free media environments.
Among the countries that suffered the largest declines in 2015 were Bangladesh, Turkey, Burundi, France, Serbia, Yemen, Egypt, Macedonia, and Zimbabwe.