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Titolo: Repost : siamo "parzialmente liberi" nella televisione lo dicono gli USA

La casa delle (mezze) libertà di Stefano Marcelli
http://www.articolo21.info/notizia.php?id=1939
e naturalmente il comunicato ufficiale:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michael Goldfarb
(n° omissis)
STUDY FINDS DECLINE IN GLOBAL PRESS FREEDOM
Despite Some Gains, Setbacks in a Number of Key Countries, Including the 
United States
NEW YORK, April 27, 2005 -- While press freedom registered important gains 
in some key countries in 2004, notable setbacks occurred in the United 
States and elsewhere in the Americas, according to a major study released 
today by Freedom House. Increased restrictions were also detected in parts 
of Asia, Africa, and the former Soviet Union.
The study, "Freedom of the Press 2005: A Global Survey of Media 
Independence," revealed that gains outnumbered setbacks, as measured by 
shifts among the survey's three main categories: Free, Partly Free and Not 
Free. Improvements took place in countries where new democratic openings 
have been achieved or are burgeoning, such as in Ukraine and Lebanon. 
Several countries in the Middle East showed positive trends.
However, the overall level of press freedom worldwide-as measured by global 
average score-worsened, continuing a three-year downward trend according to 
the survey. Notable setbacks took place in Pakistan, Kenya, Mexico, 
Venezuela, and in the world's most powerful democracy, the United States.
While the United States remained one of the strongest performers in the 
survey, its numerical score declined due to a number of legal cases in which 
prosecutors sought to compel journalists to reveal sources or turn over 
notes or other material they had gathered in the course of investigations. 
Additionally, doubts concerning official influence over media content 
emerged with the disclosures that several political commentators received 
grants from federal agencies, and that the Bush administration had 
significantly increased the practice of distributing government-produced 
news segments.
"Even in established democracies, press freedom should not be taken for 
granted," said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor. "It must 
be defended and nurtured."
Data from the report and detailed country narratives are available online.
The report was released in advance of World Press Freedom Day, on May 3.
The survey, first launched in 1980, assesses the degree of print, broadcast, 
and Internet freedom in every country in the world. It assigns each country 
a numerical score from 0 to 100 that determines a category rating of Free, 
Partly Free, or Not Free. Ratings are determined by examining three broad 
categories: the legal environment in which media operate, political 
influences on reporting and access to information, and economic pressures on 
content and the dissemination of news. The survey analyzes events during the 
2004 calendar year.
Global Trends
Out of the 194 countries and territories examined, 75 (39 percent) were 
rated Free, while 50 (26 percent) were rated Partly Free and 69 (35 percent) 
were rated Not Free.
According to the survey, five countries improved in category while two 
declined. In addition to Ukraine and Lebanon, Guatemala and Guinea-Bissau 
moved from Not Free to Partly Free, while Namibia moved from Partly Free to 
Free. Only two countries- Pakistan and Kenya-registered a negative category 
shift in 2004, moving from Partly Free to Not Free.
"The Kenya example serves as a reminder that gains in press freedom can be 
easily and quickly reversed, especially in countries where democracy has yet 
to be fully consolidated," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, the survey's 
managing editor. "And it is in these countries where a free press is a 
crucial ingredient for a successful transition to democracy."
Ukraine moved from Not Free to Partly Free after a popular, democratic 
revolution led to the relaxation of pressures on the media. Lebanon moved 
from Not Free to Partly Free as a result of increased diversification of 
private media. Other, subtler gains were noted in the Middle East, in 
contrast to setbacks in the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the 
former Soviet Union.
In terms of population, 17 percent of the world's inhabitants live in 
countries that enjoy a Free press, while 38 percent have a Partly Free press 
and 45 percent have a Not Free press. This situation represents a decline 
over the past year, as the percentage of people who live in countries with a 
Not Free media environment has increased by 2 percent.
"Most of the world's citizens do not live in countries that enjoy vibrant, 
open, and unrestricted media," said Ms. Windsor. "Therefore, it is 
critically important that democratic countries remain vigilant in upholding 
press freedom at home while actively encouraging it abroad."
Regional Trends
Americas: In the Americas, 17 countries (49 percent) were rated Free, 14 (40 
percent) were rated Partly Free, and 4 (11 percent) were rated Not Free in 
2004. Although just fewer than half the countries in the region have media 
that remain classified as Free, the percentage of countries whose media are 
classified as Free has slipped from 60 percent to 49 percent during the past 
four years.
The year 2004 presented a mixed picture in the Americas. Guatemala improved 
from Not Free to Partly Free after the inauguration of President Oscar 
Berger led to an alleviation of media intimidation. Numerical gains were 
also registered in Haiti following the ouster in February of President 
Jean-Bertrand Aristide's regime.
In addition to the United States, setbacks took place in Argentina, Peru, 
Mexico-where four journalists were killed in 2004-and Venezuela, where a new 
media law was passed that mandated large fines for broadcasting various 
forms of "prohibited" content.
Asia Pacific: The Asia Pacific region exhibited a relatively high level of 
freedom, with 18 countries (45 percent) rated Free, 7 (17.5 percent) rated 
Partly Free, and 15 (37.5 percent) rated Not Free. In population terms, the 
outlook is less positive; only seven percent of Asia's population had access 
to Free media in 2004, primarily because of Not Free China's large 
population. Asia is also home to two of the worst rated countries in the 
world, Burma and North Korea, which have extremely repressive media 
environments.
Pakistan dropped from Partly Free to Not Free because of increased official 
harassment of journalists and media outlets, in addition to passage of a 
bill that increased penalties for defamation. The moves followed other 
aggressive measures taken over the last two years by military authorities to 
silence critical or investigative voices in the media. A number of 
journalists have been pressured to resign from prominent publications, 
charged with sedition, or arrested and intimidated by intelligence officials 
while in custody. Conditions also worsened in Nepal, where members of the 
press continued to be caught in the middle of a brutal civil war between 
government forces and Maoist insurgents. In Thailand, numerical declines 
were registered due to defamation lawsuits filed against editors and 
publishers. Indonesia's score declined because journalists were increasingly 
subject to civil and criminal libel suits during the year and were prevented 
from reporting events from the restive province of Aceh, where mobs attacked 
editorial offices. Positive trends were noted in Afghanistan, where the 
adoption of a new constitution in January led to increased legal protections 
for the press and the right to free expression.
Central and Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union: In Central and Eastern 
Europe and the Former Soviet Union, 8 countries (30 percent) were classified 
as Free, 9 (33 percent) as Partly Free, and 10 (37 percent) as Not Free.
The situation for the press in the former Soviet Union remained deeply 
troubled in 2004. Russia remained in the Not Free category after being 
downgraded in 2003 in the wake of government consolidation of broadcast 
media and the use of legislative and financial pressures to restrict 
critical coverage, particularly on sensitive topics such as the war in 
Chechnya. Media in Central Asia remained severely repressed in 2004. 
However, in a positive development in the former Soviet sphere, Ukraine, 
which had been downgraded to Not Free in the 2003 survey, reversed course 
following the November 2004 "Orange Revolution" and was upgraded to Partly 
Free.
Middle East and North Africa: The Middle East and North Africa region 
continued to show the lowest region-wide ratings, with 1 country (5 
percent)-Israel-rated Free, 2 (11 percent) rated Partly Free, and 16 (84 
percent)-including the Israeli-Occupied Territories and Palestinian 
Authority-rated Not Free.
In addition to Lebanon's upgrade from Not Free to Partly Free, the Middle 
East in 2004 showed an overall improvement as measured by regional average 
score. Modest numerical improvements were noted in Egypt, Oman, and the 
United Arab Emirates, as the continued explosive growth of Arab satellite 
television provided inhabitants of the region with more diverse and 
unfiltered news. However, negative trends were observed in Yemen, where a 
crackdown against the media led to the closure of several newspapers and the 
jailing of a prominent journalist. Backsliding also took place in Iraq, 
which registered significant numerical gains in 2003. Political instability 
and escalating violence in 2004 led to the deaths of over two dozen Iraqi 
and foreign journalists and media workers, while unanswered questions about 
the power and role of new institutions created to regulate the media also 
continued to constrain press freedom.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Overall, 8 countries (17 percent) were rated Free, 16 
(33 percent) were rated Partly Free, and 24 (50 percent) remain rated Not 
Free.
The greatest movement in this year's survey took place in Sub-Saharan 
Africa. Kenya, a country that had been upgraded in 2003 during its 
democratic transition, returned to the Not Free category following a 
government crackdown on the tabloid press at the start of 2004. The Kenyan 
government also failed to liberalize the country's draconian media laws. The 
passage of restrictive media legislation led to a numerical decline in The 
Gambia. Negative trends were noted in Cote d'Ivoire, where journalists were 
subject to increased harassment and intimidation amid escalating tension 
between government and rebel forces. However, Namibia was upgraded from 
Partly Free to Free with the decline of abuses against journalists, and 
Guinea-Bissau was upgraded from Not Free to Partly Free after a change in 
government led to an easing of conditions for the press. Togo also 
registered a small numerical improvement during the year after the 
government passed positive amendments to an extremely restrictive media law.
Western Europe: Western Europe continued to boast the highest level of press 
freedom worldwide. In 2004, 23 countries (92 percent) were rated Free and 2 
(8 percent) were rated Partly Free.
The media environment in most countries remained stable, while Turkey, which 
is Partly Free, saw a modest numerical improvement during the year. Press 
freedom in Italy, which was downgraded to Partly Free in 2003, remained 
constrained by the dominant influence of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's 
media holdings.
Worst of the Worst
The five worst rated countries in 2004 were Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, 
and Turkmenistan. In these states, independent media are either nonexistent 
or barely able to operate, the role of the press is reduced to serving as a 
mouthpiece for the ruling regime, and citizens' access to unbiased 
information is severely limited.
Press freedom conditions also remained dire in Belarus, Equatorial Guinea, 
Eritrea, Sudan, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe, where authoritarian governments 
used legal pressure, imprisonment, and other forms of harassment to severely 
curtail the ability of independent media to report freely

 The study, "Freedom of the Press 2005: Freedom House
Freedom House, l'organizzazione che ha da poco rilasciato una relazione
sulla libertà di stampa ha collegamenti con ISP Institute of Policy Studies,
nota organizzazione marxista.
Qualcuno aveva forse dubbi ?
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The chairman of the board of Freedom House is Bette Bao Lord, whose husband
Winston Lord is currently the Assistant Secretary for East Asian/Pacific
Affairs (State Dept.) and special envoy to Red China.
The Lord family is connected with Freedom House trustee and ex National
Security Advisor, Anthony Lake, through the Institute for Policy Studies.
The Institute for Policy Studies is today  the preeminent intellectual
center for Marxism.
The history of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) goes like this:
In 1960, James Jeremiah Wadsworth and Arthur Waskow set up the Peace
Research Institute.
In 1963 this organization was incorporated by Marcus Raskin, a staff member
of the National Security Council and an aide to Skull & Bones' McGeorge
Bundy (initiated 1940).
Grants came from the Samuel Rubin Foundation. Samuel Rubin was himself a
member of the elite Comintern of the Communist Party, founded by none other
than Lenin himself.
Hilary Clinton funded the IPS Institute of Policy Studies and other
Communist organizations when she was Director and Chair of the Board of
Directors of the New World Foundation in 1987-1988.
Hillary had funded and praised the pro-Marxist Institute of Policy Studies
IPS which the FBI had investigated for murders, espionage, terror bombings
and kidnapping.
Bill Clinton has appointed many known Institute of Policy Studies members to
high government posts and one of his closest friends and advisors is
IPS-Marxist Derek Shearer, a top economic advisor.
Another top IPS-Marxist appointee is ANTHONY LAKE,  Clinton's National
Security Advisor.
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****La disinformazione mette il mondo intero in fiamme, l'informazione le
spegne ******
Clas