PressEthic

The World Press Freedom Index 2005, shows the USA lying 44th of 167 countries. This position is a drop of more than 20 places from the previous year, according to a report at Reporters Without Borders. This is well below countries like Canada, Britain, New Zealand. Even Bosnia has a freer press!

The report attributes the drop to the “imprisonment of New York Times reporter Judith Miller and legal moves undermining the privacy of journalistic sources.” In the eyes of this watchdog it seems the inability for a journalist to protect the confidentiality is a form of censorship.

Reporters without Borders called the imprisonment a “retrograde and freedom-curtailing decision (that) also foretells a defeat for all media and for the journalism profession, of which privileged communication is one of the essential foundations.”

Journalists unable to protect their sources from exposure will find it increasingly difficult to maintain their position as a societal watchdog. The precedent set by the Miller case will make sources with important information reluctant to step forward. It may also make journalists reluctant to delve into controversial stories that might require the protection of a confidential source. A reporter when faced with a source requesting anonymity has to face the reality that they could end up in prison.

The democratic process relies on the media to act as the Fourth Estate. Curtailing the media through this form of censorship limits their ability to fulfill their role as watchdog. This is reflected in the dramatic decline in the World Press Freedom Index.