Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Bias Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres) has released its Third Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index.
In it, Denmark is ranked number one and North Korea last at 167. Unsurprisingly, most of the Arab world is in the bottom ranks alongside various other dictatorships and Indy Media favourite Cuba.
America ranked 23rd, below most of Europe.
Reporters Without Borders received 15% of its funding from the European Commission, and an unspecified number of grants from the French Government, or previously up to 44% according to some sources who have questioned Reporters Without Borders' agenda..
Is it a co-incidence that Europe did so well and America and others did not?
I must also question what methodology was used to compile the statistics on which the report was based. According to the page,
Or in other words, they asked some questions and compiled the results. Doesn't sound like a very scientific approach which would avoid any bias does it? But then, they are only reporters aren't they?
In it, Denmark is ranked number one and North Korea last at 167. Unsurprisingly, most of the Arab world is in the bottom ranks alongside various other dictatorships and Indy Media favourite Cuba.
America ranked 23rd, below most of Europe.
Reporters Without Borders received 15% of its funding from the European Commission, and an unspecified number of grants from the French Government, or previously up to 44% according to some sources who have questioned Reporters Without Borders' agenda..
Is it a co-incidence that Europe did so well and America and others did not?
I must also question what methodology was used to compile the statistics on which the report was based. According to the page,
Reporters Without Borders compiled the index by asking its partner organisations (14 freedom of expression organisations in five continents), its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists, to answer 52 questions to indicate the state of press freedom in 167 countries (others were not included for lack of information).
Or in other words, they asked some questions and compiled the results. Doesn't sound like a very scientific approach which would avoid any bias does it? But then, they are only reporters aren't they?
