Israel ranks low for freedom of press, after Gaza war media ban
Israel falls to No. 93 of 175 countries indexed in 2009; Iran places No. 172, in wake of post-election violence.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel newsIsrael placed No. 93 out of 175 countries on a 2009 international index of press freedom, released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Tuesday.
The 2009 ranking meant Israeli lost its place as the top country for press freedom in the region, falling behind Kuwait at No. 60, Lebanon at No. 61 and the United Arab Emirates at No. 86.
Israel's dramatic drop - 47 spots since last year - came as a result of its press regulations dictated to international media during the Gaza offensive earlier this year.
"Israel has begun to use the same methods internally as it does outside its own territory," said Reporters Without Borders, adding that journalists had been arrested and imprisoned and that military censorship also posed a threat.
But as a result of actions during Israel's war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in December and January, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country at No. 150 for its "extraterritorial actions."
"The toll of the war was very heavy. Around 20 journalists in the Gaza Strip were injured by the Israeli military forces and three were killed while covering the offensive," it said.
Meanwhile, RSF noted that press freedom has improved in the United States in the last year as the country jumped 20 places to No. 20.
The media watchdog said the assumption of the presidency by Barack Obama in January brought a new approach in Washington after eight years under President George W. Bush, while some European countries fell in the group's Press Freedom Index.
It expressed concerns about U.S. attitudes toward the media in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it said journalists had been injured or arrested by the U.S. military.
"President Obama may have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but his country is still fighting two wars," the group said. "Despite a slight improvement, the attitude of the United States towards the media in Iraq and Afghanistan is worrying."
The United States came in just behind Britain on the press freedom index of 175 countries, while China was at No. 168. Afghanistan No. 149 and Iraq at No. 145.
Reporters Without Borders noted that in the United States the House of Representatives this year backed legislation to allow journalists to protect their sources - it has not yet been voted on in the Senate - and the Obama administration had promised better access to public information.
The group said civil liberties were violated in the name of national security during the Bush era.
European countries hold the top 13 spots, led by Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. France fell eight spots to No. 43, Slovakia dropped 37 places to No. 44 and Italy fell five spots to No. 49.
"Europe should be setting an example as regards civil liberties. How can you condemn human rights violations abroad if you do not behave irreproachably at home?" said Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Jean-Francois Julliard.
Press freedom in France has been worsening for several years, the group said, with the authorities placing growing pressure on journalists to reveal sources and proposing legislation that could reduce their freedom.
In Italy, Reporters Without Borders said press freedom was being stifled by threats from the mafia and various lawsuits being brought or considered by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi against news organizations.
At the bottom of the list were Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea "where media are so suppressed they are nonexistent," said Reporters Without Borders.
Iran dropped to No. 172 from No. 166, with Reporters Without Borders saying the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had fostered a paranoia about journalists and bloggers.
"Automatic prior censorship, state surveillance of journalists, mistreatment, journalists forced to flee the country, illegal arrests and imprisonment - such is the state of press freedom this year in Iran," the group said.
The ranking was compiled from hundreds of questionnaires completed by journalists and media experts around the world and reflecting press freedom violations that took place between Sept. 1, 2008 and Aug. 31, 2009. The exact number of questionnaires completed was not immediately available.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
Actually if they can let the journalists there AND fight at the same time while hurting none, it just means that... they don't fight too much (if you knew how journlists tend to stick to your rifle at times of war...). That explains two things: - The situation in Afghanistan. - Why Israel has to be so active: it HAS to win the war. It has to win EVERY war or its existence is compromised. What does Canda have to do with Afghanistan? Therefore, again, you can't compare.
Of the top 20 countries Denmark,Norway,Sweden,Estonia,Netherlands,Belgium,New Zealand,Australia,Japan,Germany,Canada all have major combat forces active in Afghanistan and various other conflict zones around the world. So thats not an excuse.
Gaza, the war zone, is not privy to states rights as she is neither a state and she refuses to 'recognize' Israel as a state.( While firing thousands of rockets into Israel, the height of hostile, hypocritical acts) Gaza can't make demands, she lost any credibility when both the PA and Hamas have histories of using the population as shields and casualties and vows to destroy Israel. Gaza is a group of dissidents who are international beggars and w/o any more funding, would slither back to where they came from. So, ISRAEL SAYS, AND THE US PEOPLE SUPPORT ISRAEL ALL THE WAY
now, the White House Press Dept. is also censor, critic, sentence judging and 'eliminating' specialist of the media. "Freedom of The Press"? Or, "Freedom From The Press'? Or, "Elective responses."? Disturbing in fact. Like a child taking his ball home so no one can play.
Didn't Obama once say, "an open and transparent administration.?" Surely, thanks to Obama, Fox News will have more viewers than ever. good job, 'Freedom of The Press, anyone? More like, "Freedom from The Press". And this, folks, is America's administration of "change." Is a question less valid because it is "ignored"? Not good. Can we change it back? Or will this too be 'ignored.'?
Hizballah is being openly critisized in Lebanon by a variety of organs like "al Nahar", "L'Orient le Jour", Voice of Labanon Radio or on TV by LBC. There is actually an ongoing political debate about Hizballahs role in Lebanon which is covered by the local media. Please visit Lebanon and judge yourself about the existing liberties . You will see a country completely different as what you might expect after watching and reading for years biased "western" media reports.
What difference does what is happening in Lebanon and Kuwait make? Is Israel doing wrong? If so, should it stop doing so?
The guy that got plastered with a tank shell a while back. The one that was a reporter for Al Jazeera or like that. The one the Israelis thought was aiming an antitank rocket at them instead of a camera. Y'all remember the roasting the Israelis got for that one? Small wonder they didn't let any reckless, disoriented, sensation-seeking journalists in. Did Goldstone include that in his report? Did he mention that Israel protected journalists by not letting them risk their lives in terrorist terrain?
How many others have been censored for replying to an article about censorship? israel has devolved to the point where it doesn't even have the moral stomach to resist, or the brains to pursue self-preservation rather than performing the Ostrich Manuver. Those who do not have our heads up our ass ALL know without being able to communicate that we are being prevented from communicating. To quote General Washington Platt from his excellent text book 'Strategic Intelligence Production', "Enough Nothings Equal Something." The lack of posts prove the censorship. Got it?
In spite of their relative ranking, the Israeli media reports many, many incidents that the US media carefully omits. I guess the study didn't consider self-censorship.
Israel wants to bomb Gaza to smithereens and murder unarmed civilians but doesn't want to let the World witness it's carnage. The Palestinians have been bearing the brunt of their savagery for decades. Only now with Iran hitching it's rising crescent to the Palestinian's cause, nothing is secret anymore.
Is this not because of daily persecution of Palestinians?
But it didn't prevent IDF propagandist from leaking the truth by accident during Cast Lead.
if you ask me
This "rating" is obviously as fraudulent as the "reporting" that Reporters without Borders hacks do when in Israel, where they issue no shortage of attacks on Israel's government, complete with doctored and Photoshopped graphics. Israel's press is not "free"? I guess they don't read HAARETZ. Since Israel does not benefit from the propaganda of foreign (especially EU) media, why let them in the country at all? Just allow "pool" coverage, like highly-rated U.S. does in Iraq and Afganistan. The first time I visited Israel in the 70's, it was illegal to photograph IDF or report on any troop movements at all. Period. Just go back to that reasonable standard, and tell Reporters Without Borders jerks to cover the Mideast from Kuwait, with a nice telephoto lens. They can Photoshop in the rest (as they usually do anyway), and manufacture more organ donor stories from the bar in the Kuwait City Holiday Inn.
The biggest mistake a country can make is to close off media. The ugliest pictures get out anyway and any far flung story which might be a lie will more likely be thought of as possibly true.
...certainly enjoys more freedom, it is competent, dynamic, and diversified. if you can not read Arabic, try L'Orient in french, or The Daily Star in English.
The defenders rush in to compare Israel to semi-dictatorial states. Regarding freedom of the press you should be comparing yourselves to number one and two, not 96 and 97.
The rating only measures how difficult it is to get and print the stories certain reporters wanted, not the quality of reporting. Thus we have Sweden's organ pinching story: pure crap backed by a government that believes anything goes. The ratings are highly subjective and personal, without a huge data base, which causes the rating from year to year to vary wildly. Israel has been doing fine until five reporters were miffed last January at not getting their visas.
The index mixes together countries at war with those that live in peace. This scale and the resulting measurements are meaningless.
If reporters were let in then the IDF may have acted differently. And, just maybe Israel wouldn't be faced with fallout from the Goldstone report.
Lets see if we can remember Lebanon in 2006. The international reporters were used by Hizbollah to propagate their "story" not facts. Can anyone recallm all the faked international media photos, the fabricated stories. Gaza would be the same. If the international media prublishe truth then wel would all be better off. If soldiers know they will be criticised no mater what they may behave in a worse manner. Ah Sweden, yes lies can be printed as fact. Press freedom is a license to distort, lie & sell out to the highest bidder.
Had international journalists been allowed during the massacre of Gaza, there would be no question of the atrocities the soldiers of the most moral army in the world committed. Israel succeeded in keeping the war in the dark, but that has changed.
Reporters Without Borders are just as biased as any other western organization. Why should Israel care what they think?
Of course, Lebanese law still sends reporters to jail for daring speak with Israelis -- and Lebanese reporters are still killed for daring to criticize Hezballah. Muzzled reporters accordingly failed to do either of those things -- which, using RSF's moronic "number of incidents" approach, means that those muzzled reporters were "free". It kind of makes you think about the state of journalism, if these "reporters" without borders are the ones coming up with such a silly system, huh?
http://www.rsf.org/en-classement1003-2009.html Pretty stupid assessment. They need to separate countries at war from those that are not. Mike
Do you want your Israeli reporters in lebanon before or after army service or maybe while on reserve!
Who says there is no humor in the news. It's everywhere. An Israeli reporter in Lebanon, Gaza etc. could not get Life Insurance. (Or has a death wish)Israel could not let reporters into Gaza and then be accused of their deaths. It is hard enough trying to avoid civilians. Hamas would love to use reporters as shields. The world has gone mad.
Egypt is already low on the list. They do something to harm freedom of the press, it will have a small effect. Israel on the other hand imposing sanctions against reporters will have a large effect because they were comparatively highly ranked. Another nail in the coffin of democracy.
Never have I ever seen such a self critical journal in any other country.
Who gives Israel the right to control the borders of Gaza? Oh, that's right...Israel just "took" the right...
Here in the US, the BHO administration has initiated an assault on the Freedom of the Press by demanding that those opposed to the BHO game plan be shunned and banned. Those media, ie:Newsweek and NBC, that ONLY print articles favoring the administration are provided open ability to print what the President wants. IN FACT, BHO's media adviser stated clearly that BHO controls the media and is "proud of it." Welcome to the NEW USA - where McCarthyism is the new norm!
I guess Reporters enjoyed greater freedom in other parts of the Free and Democratic Middle East. By their logic Egypt's rating should also drop by the same # of points. Why don't these organizations just declare their political intentions and create their own party.... may be become a separate "country" in the UN? This is all beyond funny.
Oh, they mean "white" journalists were not allowed? How Alan johnston is doing?
Isnt it obvious why Israel refused to let the press in?
Journalists did go into Gaza thru Egypt.