LatinaLista — Every year, the organization Reporters Without Borders releases their world press freedom rankings. In conflict-torn countries like Syria, Mexico, Venezuela, Egypt, Yemen, etc, the clampdown on journalists’ reporting is not surprising.
Since news is knowledge and the control of that news can be a powerful tool as a vehicle for propaganda, intimidation or otherwise present a false impression to the global community, it’s no wonder that journalists would be considered Public Enemy #1 in these kinds of countries.
Yet, what’s the excuse for the United States?
For the first time, the United States fell 13 spots and now ranks 46 among 180 countries. In the featured interview done for Democracy Now!, Delphine Halgand, U.S. director of Reporters Without Borders, shares why the U.S. has plunged in the rankings and the kind of message it is sending to the rest of the world.