We are also behind Chile, Dominican Republic, Israel, Cape Verde, Namibia, and many other countries.
According to Reporters without Borders, we are tied for 53rd place with Croatia, Tonga, and Botswana.
http://www.rsf.org/...
Since last year, we have plummeted 9 places. Since 2002, we have plummeted from 17th place, which is currently occupied by no one, (because Canada, Bolivia, and Austria are tied for 16th).
Here's the reason for this year's fall and it was news to me at least the info in the second paragraph:
The United States (53rd) has fallen nine places since last year, after being in 17th position in the first year of the Index, in 2002. Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the president used the pretext of "national security" to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his "war on terrorism." The zeal of federal courts which, unlike those in 33 US states, refuse to recognise the media's right not to reveal its sources, even threatens journalists whose investigations have no connection at all with terrorism.
Freelance journalist and blogger Josh Wolf was imprisoned when he refused to hand over his video archives. Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj, who works for the pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, has been held without trial since June 2002 at the US military base at Guantanamo, and Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein has been held by US authorities in Iraq since April this year.
Here is a link to the criteria for determining rank:
criteria
Props to Hogfan, for beginning to blog on this story.
http://www.dailykos.com/...