For the ninth consecutive year, Freedom in the World, Freedom House’s annual report on the condition of global political rights and civil liberties, showed an overall decline. Indeed, acceptance of democracy as the world’s dominant form of government—and of an international system built on democratic ideals—is under greater threat than at any point in the last 25 years.
Even after such a long period of mounting pressure on democracy, developments in 2014 were exceptionally grim. The report’s findings show that nearly twice as many countries suffered declines as registered gains, 61 to 33, with the number of gains hitting its lowest point since the nine-year erosion began.
This pattern held true across geographical regions, with more declines than gains in the Middle East and North Africa, Eurasia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and the Americas, and an even split in Asia-Pacific. Syria, a dictatorship mired in civil war and ethnic division and facing uncontrolled terrorism, received the lowest Freedom in the World country score in over a decade.
Flora Lemoine-Gouédard @Florita_LG
A principios del mes de enero, los atentados en el semanal Charlie Hebdo, contra tres policías y en el supermercado judío Casher hicieron que Francia entrara en conmoción. En tres días, 17 personas perdieron la vida. 10 por ejercer su trabajo de periodista, caricaturista y artista, 3 por ejercer su trabajo de “agentes de la paz”, como llamamos a los policías en Francia, y 4 personas por ser judías.
Para descargar el documento completo, presione aquí
Signs of Change Amid Repression, Freedom House
The proportion of the world’s population that has access to a Free press declined to its lowest point in over a decade during 2010, as repressive governments intensified their efforts to control traditional media and developed new techniques to limit the independence of rapidly expanding internet-based media. Among the countries to experience significant declines in press freedom were Egypt, Honduras, Hungary, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, and Ukraine.
Por Dolia Estévez, Mexico Institute Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, Transborder Institute, University of San Diego
The essay examines the political willingness and steps taken by the federal and legislative branches of government to protect freedom of expression, through the exercise of journalism. It discusses measures taken by reporters, editors, media companies and civil society, to defend that right. Special attention is given to explain how the failure of federal and local authorities to effectively prosecute crimes against reporters has resulted in almost total impunity. The report also examines the extent to which editors and journalists, working in states overwhelmed with violence, have engaged in widespread self-censorship out of fear for their lives. The report emphasizes freedom of expression and a free press as fundamental and universal rights protected by international law. These rights are also consider an effective way to measure the strength of a democracy.
Autor: José Luis Arriaga Ornelas
Fuente: Razón y Palabra no. 26 Abril-Mayo 2002.
Fragmento del original: En México, durante la segunda mitad de los noventa se batieron casi todos los registros sobre el número de secuestros, robos, asesinatos y el contrabando de droga, entre otros índices delictivos. Ante ello, se volvió lugar común equiparar la realidad mexicana con los problemas de violencia que aquejan a Colombia desde hace varias décadas...
En 1997 decidimos iniciar una investigación que, a través del análisis discursivo, dijera algo sobre los casos de México y Colombia en cuanto al comportamiento de la nota roja... Teníamos claro que la perspectiva desde la cual se narran informativamente los hechos que ocurren en una colectividad proporciona indicios de las normas que en ese momento rigen en tal sociedad y que, con su existencia, delimitan las conductas "desviadas" (y por lo tanto noticiables en el género de nota roja). Para mostrar esta relación escogimos dos periódicos cuyo perfil los ubicaba en la década de los noventa en los primeros lugares de tiraje y circulación en sus países de origen, con una cobertura informativa caracterizada por la dotación de noticias genéricas, un formato similar y larga historia.
Para leer el documento completo presione aquí