VOA慢速英語：最新報道：媒體自由減小

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A media rights group says leaders have developed"paranoia" about reporters as the world is entering a "climate of fear.”

Christophe Deloire is secretary-general of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders. On Wednesday, he said "Numerous authorities are trying to regain control of their countries, fearing overly open public debate."

He added new technologies permit leaders to appeal directly to the public. As a result, he said “there is agreater degree of violence against those whorepresent independent information.”

The report says the problems are especially serious in Latin America. It notes structural violencein Venezuela and Ecuador, organized crimein Honduras and a lack of punishment in Colombia.

Reporters Without Borders also says corruption in Brazil damages media freedom as does too few separate independent media in Argentina.

Best and Worst

The report rates 180 countries. Eritrea is rated the worst country for mediafreedom worldwide. Just above it on the list are North Korea, Turkmenistan,Syria and China.

Finland is the top of the list for the sixth year straight. The Netherlands and Norway come in second and third.

Reporters Without Borders places the United States at number 41 on thelist. The report says computer spying is a major problem in the country.

Individual countries that improved the most in the 2016 reportinclude Tunisia. Last year it was number 96. The new report says adecrease in violence and legal action in Tunisia brought it to number 30. Ukraine also rose to number 22 from 107 because conflict has eased in theeastern part of the country.

Countries that fell the most include Tajikistan and Brunei. Both rated more than thirty positions lower than last year. Poland also fell from 29 to 47 on the list.

The report blames the drops to a rise in the repressive nature of some governments, such as those in Tajikistan, Egypt and Turkey. It also saysmore dangerous security situations in Libya, Yemen and Burundi haveaffected media freedoms in those countries. The report also blamed increasingly strong religious laws about speech, such as in Brunei, and tighter government control of state-owned media, such as in Poland.

Self-censorship

Reporters Without Borders says the obstacles to press freedom lead to self-censorship. The report also criticizes governments that are quick to suspend Internet availability to their citizens. It says the act damages media freedom.

The report says every continent has seen a decrease in media freedom over the past three years. Europe still has the freest media. Africa comes next, followed by the Americas, Asia and Eastern Europe-Central Asia. There port says North Africa and the Middle East remain the areas where reporters are most restricted in all ways.

The index measures signs of media independence, self-censorship, the rule of law, transparency and the safety of reporters.

Reporters Without Borders sends questionnaires in 20 languages to experts around the world as part of the study data. It also examines reports of abuses and acts of violence against reporters.

I’m ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

paranoia – n. an unreasonable feeling that people are trying to harm you,do not like you, etc.?

authorities – n. people who have power to make decisions and enforcerules and laws?

degree –? n. an amount or level that can be measured or compared toanother amount or level?

censorship – n. the system or practice of censoring, or restricting,information in books, movies, letters, etc.?

questionnaire – n. a written set of questions that are given to people inorder to collect facts or opinions about something?