The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon the organization's assessment of their press freedom records. Small countries, such as Andorra, are excluded from this report. A smaller score in the index corresponds to greater freedom of the press. The 2011–2012 index was published on 25 January 2012. Unlike indexes from previous years, the 2011–2012 index allowed for negative scores and has a wider overall spread of scores (-10 to 142, with previous years having 0 to 115.5).

The report is based on a questionnaire sent to partner organizations of Reporters Without Borders (14 freedom of expression groups in five continents) and its 130 correspondents around the world, as well as to journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists.

The survey asks questions about direct attacks on journalists and the media as well as other indirect sources of pressure against the free press. Reporters Without Borders is careful to note that the index only deals with press freedom, and does not measure the quality of journalism. Due to the nature of the survey's methodology based on individual perceptions, there are often wide contrasts in a country's ranking from year to year.

There are several non-governmental organizations that publish and maintain assessments of the state of freedom in the world, according to their own various definitions of the term, and rank countries as being free, partly free, or unfree using various measures of freedom, including political rights, economic rights, and civil liberties.

Here is a table of the assessments in each index for most countries of the world. For exact rankings rather than assessments, refer to the individual index articles.

A star next to the Freedom House ranking means that the country is rated as a liberal democracy.

Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials. While such freedom mostly implies the absence of interference from an overreaching state, its preservation may be sought through constitutional or other legal protections.

With respect to governmental information, any government may distinguish which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public based on classification of information as sensitive, classified or secret and being otherwise protected from disclosure due to relevance of the information to protecting the national interest. Many governments are also subject to sunshine laws or freedom of information legislation that are used to define the ambit of national interest.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"

Michael Dennis Malloy (born July 1, 1942) is an American radio broadcaster from Atlanta, Georgia. Previously his show has been carried by WSB (AM) Atlanta, WLS (AM) Chicago, the I.E. America Radio Network, the Air America Radio network, Nova M Radio and the On Second Thought network. He is now self-syndicated. Politically, he describes himself as "a traditional Liberal Democrat doing his part to return the Democratic Party to its Liberal roots."

Malloy was born in Toledo, Ohio. His mother was a waitress, and his father was a construction cost analyst. He studied English and political science at North Carolina State University, the University of Toledo, Georgia State University, and Jacksonville University. In the late 1970s, Malloy relocated to Atlanta and became editor of the alternative weekly newspaper Creative Loafing and actor with the Southern Theater Conspiracy. From 1984 to 1987, he was a news writer with CNN, and he was a writer and producer for CNN International in 2000.

Malloy began his radio career in 1985 as an apprentice with Ludlow Porch of WCNN in Atlanta (not related with CNN). From 1986 to 1995, Malloy hosted a late-night show on WSB in Atlanta, until WSB replaced him with the syndicated program of Laura Schlessinger. In 1997, Malloy began to host a show that aired from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the Chicago station WLS. Malloy's WLS program was regularly among the top five late-night programs in Chicago. In 1999 and 2000, Talkers magazine ranked Malloy in its Heavy Hundred listing, and Malloy won an Achievement in Radio award for best overnight radio show in Chicago. Malloy left WLS in March 2000. WLS claims that he voluntarily left with mutual consent, but Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn claimed that an executive at the station called Malloy "mean-spirited" in an e-mail.

Leslie Marshall has been a liberal radio talk host since 1988 and a commentator on national television since 2001. Leslie became the youngest person ever to be nationally syndicated on radio when she replaced Tom Snyder on the ABC Satellite Radio Network in 1992. She was also the first woman to host an issues oriented program nationwide.

Leslie Marshall is host of the nationally syndicated The Leslie Marshall Show (in its 5th year), she is also a Fox News Contributor and blogs weekly for US News & World Report as well as POLITICO.

Leslie Marshall has been a radio talk host for 23 years. Marshall is currently nationally syndicated by TalkUSA Radio.

Marshall started her broadcasting career as a radio news reporter in Boston, and then worked in radio and television in Miami, Florida. While in Miami, Marshall did news, traffic, weather and disc jockey work. One night, when hosting an overnight nostalgic music program, she did a special "Remembrance" hour in which veterans called in with their experiences. It was that night that Leslie was discovered by a Program Director at the talk station across town. He phoned her, and told her that she might have missed her calling.