Freedom of the Press 2008 Survey Release

In advance of World Press Freedom Day, on May 3rd, Freedom House has released several critical tools to highlight data from its annual survey of global press freedom, and to help explain the newest findings in their historical context. The current edition of the survey, Freedom of the Press 2008, points to declines on a global scale in 2007, with particularly worrisome trends evident in the former Soviet Union, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. The findings mark the sixth straight year of deterioration in the level of press freedom worldwide, with particularly marked declines noted in certain countries and regions. Improvements in a small number of countries were overshadowed by a continued, relentless assault on independent news media by a wide range of actors, in both authoritarian states and countries with relatively open media environments.
 

Press Release - Read the press release detailing findings from Freedom of the Press 2008.
Charts - The charts feature global and regional breakdowns for our three categories of "Free", "Partly Free", and "Not Free."
Tables - Tables feature country rankings and numerical scores for the 2008 survey.
Overview Essay - Press Freedom in 2007: A Year of Global Decline gives a thorough introduction to Freedom of the Press 2008.  It details trends identified in media freedom during the 2007 calendar year and offers a snapshot of regional gains and setbacks.
Draft Reports - Draft reports for Freedom of the Press 2008 are available to give analytical narrative explanations for our country scores.
Methodology - View a description of the criteria used in the ratings process for Freedom of the Press 2008.
Map of Press Freedom 2008 - Each year Freedom House produces a graphic representation of its country ratings in the form of the Map of Press Freedom.
Historical Maps - Using data from past reports, Freedom House has developed a series of historical maps which graphically demonstrate trends in media freedom over the past quarter century.