ONLY 13 percent of the world’s population enjoyed free press last year, according to democracy watchdog Freedom House in yet another international study proving press freedom is on the decline around the world.
In its Freedom of the Press 2017 report entitled Press Freedom’s Dark Horizon, Freedom House identifies a growing trend in Asia of the use of defamation laws by governments and powerful individuals to silence and punish criticism in the press.
It says in 2016, authorities in the region provided “greater attention to [cracking down on] unfavourable commentary on social media in particular.”
Global #pressfreedom just declined to its lowest point …read more
Source: Asian Correspondent
