A recently released publication from Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organization founded by French journalists, states that there was a significant decline of journalistic freedom in the United States last year. According to the report, the U.S. ranked 32nd out of 180 nations in 2012. Last year, that ranking fell to 46.
The report describes the erosion of U.S. press freedom as “one of the most significant declines” in the world. Globally respected for its objectivity, Reporters Without Borders has consultant status with the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Describing its methodology, Reporters Without Borders secretary general Christophe Deloire wrote: “The World Press Freedom Index is a reference tool that is based on seven criteria: the level of abuses, the extent of pluralism, media independence, the environment and self-censorship, the legislative framework, transparency and infrastructure.” Norway and the Netherlands sit atop the list. North Korea, Eritrea, and Turkmenistan reside at the bottom.
Specifically what policies are responsible for the U.S. plummeting so far and so rapidly on the World Press Freedom Index? Undoubtedly, the fall occurred for two primary reasons: the pervasive electronic surveillance and subsequent intimidation of journalists by the National Security Agency (NSA) and President Obama’s aggressive prosecution of whistleblowers.
A particularly chilling effect on press freedom was the NSA’s secret seizure of the phone records of the Associated Press. Josh Stearns of the Huffington Post wrote: “Freedom of information is too often sacrificed to an overly broad and abusive interpretation of national security needs, marking a disturbing retreat from democratic practices.” Democracy cannot exist without a free media. This explains why our civil liberties are eroding concurrently as investigative journalism is under assault.
Virtually everything that we know about the clandestine surveillance of journalists (particularly those operating outside of the mainstream), environmental activists, anti-war groups, protesters, political dissidents and our so-called foreign allies was disclosed to the media by Wikileaks through Julian Assange and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning), who upheld an honorable code of conduct when the government did not by exposing a litany of war crimes committed by the U.S. military, is serving a long prison sentence. James Risen, a longtime journalist with the New York Times may serve jail time for refusing to reveal a source.
If Snowden had not leaked classified documents to the press, none of which were proven to actually compromise national security or the safety of our troops, we would not know the extent of the NSA surveillance.
It is because of courageous whistleblowers like Snowden that Americans know that every email they write, every text message and phone call they make, and every computer keystroke they type is recorded by the NSA and stored at a huge facility in Utah. Neither the Constitution nor the law has protected U.S citizens from this massive and unwarranted invasion of privacy. The malfeasance of the criminals was exposed; they are embarrassed and angry, and they want retribution.
Now, the government is attempting to bully journalist-lawyer Glen Greenwald, a strong critic of U.S. policy. Greenwald, however, refuses to be intimidated and is fighting back. Pentagon officials have openly threatened to assassinate Snowden who is holed up in Russia while seeking asylum in Latin America. One has to wonder if the president has an unmanned drone with Snowden’s name on it parked in a bunker somewhere. Furthermore, Obama has prosecuted more whistleblowers than all other U.S. presidents combined.
The ostensible purpose of NSA surveillance against U.S. citizens is related to national security. However, the historical record confirms that the NSA, FBI, and the CIA have rarely been candid or transparent about their activities. These agencies have routinely violated the law, frequently abused their powers, and are not accountable to anyone.
Their real agenda is to monitor the activities of political dissidents, to protect the assets of the rich and powerful, and to prevent social and environmental justice movements from organizing. In essence, the World Press Freedom Index is documenting the emergence of a U.S. police state.
Leave a Reply