Freedom of the press in decline

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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"Declines in Israel, Italy and Taiwan illustrate that established democracies with traditionally open media are not immune to restricting freedom," said Arch Puddington, the research director for Freedom House, a nonprofit organization that is funded by the U.S. government and private groups.

In 2007, the Mideast was the only region that showed improvement, Puddington said, but it too is now on the decline, according The Associated Press. The Mideast and N. Africa have historically had the world's lowest levels of press freedom. Central and Eastern Europe showed the biggest drops in press freedom.

"The journalism profession is up against the ropes and fighting to stay alive, as pressures from governments, other powerful actors and the global economic crisis take an enormous toll," Freedom House executive director was quoted as saying by AFP.