Reporters Without Borders Ranks China as 1 of 10 Worst Countries for Press Freedom

October 27, 2005

Reporters Without Borders ranked China 159th out of 167 countries in its 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, released on October 20. China ranked ahead of Nepal, Cuba, Libya, Burma, Iran, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, and North Korea in granting press freedom, according to the Index. The authors note that, despite some media privatization in China, "the government's propaganda department monitors the media, which were forbidden to mention dozens of sensitive subjects in the past year."

Reporters Without Borders ranked China 159th out of 167 countries in its 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, released on October 20. China ranked ahead of Nepal, Cuba, Libya, Burma, Iran, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, and North Korea in granting press freedom, according to the Index. The authors note that, despite some media privatization in China, "the government's propaganda department monitors the media, which were forbidden to mention dozens of sensitive subjects in the past year."