Gallup survey: Is global media free?

(GRAPH: Green intensity = media have a lot of freedom/Gallup)(HN, 3/28/12) - A new Gallup poll of nearly 2/3 of adults (65%), aged 15 & up, across 133 countries & territories done in 2011 says the media in their countries have a lot of freedom, essentially unchanged from the average of 67% found in 2010.  These views  varied worldwide, ranging from a low of 23% in Belarus to a high of 97% in Finland.  Among the nations surveyed Turkey ranked 13th & 40% of Turks think there is freedom of media in their country.  6 of the top 10 countries are in Europe & are:  1. Finland (97 %) 2. The Netherlands (96 %) 3. Australia (94 %) 4. Ghana (93 %) 5. Germany (92 %); France ranked 23rd in the survey.

(PHOTO: Focus Taiwan News Channel)Taiwan ranked 17% globally, outpacing all other Asian countries in terms of how its people rate the level of media freedom.  Japan ranked 64th , South Korea at 87th; the US was 16th. Gallup said people's perceptions about the amount of freedom of their media typically mirror expert assessments, such as those by `Freedom House' & `Reporters Without Borders', tho for example, in Botswana, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait & Liberia, 80% or more of the respondents to the Gallup poll said their media is free; Singapore lagged behind 89th-ranking China in 96th place - while Freedom House does not classify the media in any these countries or areas as "free."   People were also dubious of media freedom in Gabon, Armenia, Mauritania, Congo & the Palestinian territories. (Read more at Gallup.Com)