Latin America Falls Behind in Press Freedom

For the first time, Latin America has fallen behind Africa in freedom of the press, according to the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters without Borders on April 22. The index is based on the responses from experts across the world to a 87-question questionnaire assessing a country’s opinion pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, news production infrastructure, and frequency of press abuses. Graded on a 100-point scale, each country’s score is compared against those of the other 180 countries evaluated in the index. Nearly every Latin American country fell in this year’s rankings. Mexico (149^th) and Central America’s decline was tied to increasing cartel-linked violence in the region and regional governments’ inability to protect journalists from being murdered. Institutional violence and governmental crackdowns on the press in Ecuador (109^th), and Venezuela (134^th) dragged down those countries’ numbers. Concentrated media ownership and corruption damaged the rankings of Argentina (54^th) and Brazil (104^th) respectively.

RSF specifically attributed the Castro regime’s near total control over Cuba’s (171^st) media to the country’s dubious position as the least press-free nation in the Western hemisphere.

There was one ray of hope for the region, however. Costa Rica climbed up ten spots#6 on the list. Alongside Jamaica (10^th), they were the only American countries in the top 10. RSF attributed Costa Rica’s rank to its lack of corruption, legislation favorable to media, and proper recognition of journalism.

In spite of Costa Rica’s hopeful position, Latin America is taking a troubling turn away from a free press. Aside from the region’s dismal ranking by RSF, the Committee to Protect Journalists has noted the region’s poor record on addressing crimes against journalists. Mexico was given special attention by the CPJ as it was included in its index of countries with the highest rate of unsolved journalist murders with 0.152 cases per million inhabitants. Colombia traditionally held this distinction, but the recent peace process there has pushed Colombia out of the top 15 ranking.

At the global level, Latin American slip is not isolated. RSF observed that press freedom around the world is under assault as governments strive to regain control over the media based on a fear, according to RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire, “that public debate is too open.” In some cases, the rise and widespread use of social media and the internet have even facilitated media crackdowns. With new tools to cheaply and widely disperse information, Deloire warns that the world is entering a “new era of propaganda.”

Deloire’s fears have already begun materializing in Latin America. In Argentina, President Mauricio Macri has altered by decree the country’s Broadcast Media Law. Argentine human rights organizations and television unions’ have decried the decree as an impediment to free speech by placing media regulation authority too deeply under the government’s control. Macri’s legislation is not unique for the country. His predecessor Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner enacted similar decrees which more overtly infringed upon independent press.

The more troubling sign of Macri’s decree is that it comes from a self-proclaimed reformer. Hailed around the world for taking bold steps to address Argentina’s failing economy, Macri’s decree speaks to a more systemic issue across Latin America: a missing belief in the importance of an independent press.

Ecuador under Rafael Correa has followed a similar path. Correa has attempted to silence criticism of his person and government. His administration has even gone so far as to arbitrarily block access to Google and YouTube.

In Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro has continued the legacy of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in intimidating independent press and levying fees against critical news broadcasting stations.

The military regimes of the 20^th century are a relic of the past and are not about to resurge across Latin America. However, the region’s continued inability to promote a free press protected against government and gang intimidation poses a similar threat to democracy. If Latin American governments continue this path, it might not be long until the region repeats its own history and becomes a collection of democracies in name only.