These 19 countries are where journalists have the most freedom
1. FINLAND — 8.59. Described by RSF as "top of the class," the Nordic state also ranks third in the world for most newspaper readers per capita and has 200 active newspapers.
2. NETHERLANDS — 8.76. Dutch law bans discrimination and inciting hatred, but the right to satire and opinion is considered sacred.
Source: RSF.
3. NORWAY — 8.79. The protection of press freedom in Norway is described as "almost flawless" by RSF.
Source: RSF.
4. DENMARK — 8.89. The Danish constitution says censorship and other preventive measures can "never" be introduced.
Source: RSF.
5. NEW ZEALAND – 10.01. Media freedom thrives in New Zealand. However, the country's information freedom law means journalists here often wait long periods of time to receive information from the government, or in some cases are told to pay several hundred dollars for it.
Source: RSF.
6. COSTA RICA — 11.10. The Latin American state is a remarkable exception in a region generally characterised by crime and corruption.
Source: RSF.
7. SWITZERLAND — 11.76. Journalists here enjoy impressive levels of freedom, apart from when it comes to leaking official documents concerning banking. This is regarded as a crime, according to RFS.
Source: RSF.
8. SWEDEN — 12.33. RFS says the Swedish constitution was the world's first to enshrine media freedom.
Source: RSF.
9. IRELAND — 12.40. The Irish press is relatively free, but journalists face challenges like the high number of defamation lawsuits and the near-impossible task of trying to interview police sources.
Source: RSF.
10. JAMAICA — 12.45. A law was passed in the Caribbean island in 2013 which totally decriminalised defamation.
Source: RSF.
11. AUSTRIA — 13.18. The Austrian constitution protects media freedom, but there are severe penalties for defaming high-profile politicians.
Source: RSF.
12. SLOVAKIA – 13.26. Journalists here can be imprisoned for up to eight years for defamation — the most severe punishment for this crime in the EU — but the press still enjoys considerable freedom.
Source: RSF.
13. BELGIUM — 14.18. The Belgian constitution prohibits print media, TV and radio from being censored. However, this law does not extend to websites.
Source: RSF.
14. ESTONIA — 14.31. In previous years, RFS ranked Estonia in the top ten countries for press freedom. However, developments like the risk of journalists being jailed for not revealing sources has adversely affected its rating.
Source: RSF.
15. LUXEMBOURG — 14.43. The 2015 prosecution of Édouard Perrin, the journalist responsible for leaking revelations about tax avoidance schemes, damaged the country's credentials.
Source: RSF.
16. GERMANY — 14.80. New anti-terrorism laws mean that police can conduct secret surveillance operations, which threaten the confidentiality of journalists' work.
Source: RSF.
17. NAMIBIA — 15.15. The southwestern African state is the only country from the continent to appear in the top 19.
Source: RSF.
18. CANADA — 15.26. During the reign of former prime minister Stephan Harper, journalists found it much harder to gain access to government information. His successor, Justin Trudeau, has said he advocates a "free media."
Source: RSF.
19. ICELAND — 15.30. The Iceland parliament has in recent years passed laws protecting "whistleblowers" and the practice of investigative journalism.
Source: RSF.
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