Why we dropped in press freedom

New Zealand dropped this year in the press freedom stakes. Still pretty damn good at 19= but last year we were 12=. Our “score” (zero is perfect) is 5.00. The UK is 6.50 and Australia 9.00. Last year our score was 2.00.

So why have we dropped? A blogger has asked the question the media didn’t. Bernard Darnton e-mailed the authors and their reply highlights two factors:

1. . Pressure not to show the Mohammed cartoons (who recalls our PM attacking newspapers which did so)

2. TVNZ’s Board being hauled before Parliament’s Privileges Committee

I’m glad to see one of their criteria for press freedom is how many bloggers were imprisoned during the last year (for their blogs).