Conditions for the press worsened in many countries last year, according to a report from Freedom House, a democracy watchdog group that monitors conditions around the world for writers, journalists and the media. The report found that worldwide, press freedom declined last year to its lowest level in more than 10 years.
Only 1 in 7 people worldwide live in a country where political news is freely reported. In most countries, journalists do not operate in safety, and economic and political powers continue to meddle with the media. Overall, press freedom declined in 61 countries, but only improved in 33.
The report found that the worst countries on the list, Belarus, Crimea, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan stand in stark contrast to countries like Norway, Sweden and Belgium at the top of the list. That means, readers are missing the real news from a significant portion of the world. The United States was ranked 34th in press freedom and Japan finished in a six-way tie for 41st place.