List of freedom indices

This article contains a list of freedom indices produced by 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 civil liberties, political rights and economic rights.

Prominent indices

Index of Freedom in the World

Index of Freedom in the World (Freedom Index, Worldwide Index of Human Freedom) is an index of civil liberties published by Canada's Fraser Institute, Germany's Liberales Institut, and the U.S. Cato Institute in late 2012.

The index is based on measures of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, individual economic choice, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, violence and crimes, freedom of movement, LGBT rights and women's rights. Other components of the Freedom Index include human trafficking, sexual violence, female genital mutilation, homicide, freedom of movement, and adoption by homosexuals.

The index rates countries on a scale from 10 (most free) to 0 (least free). In 2012 the most free countries were New Zealand (8.73), the Netherlands (8.47), and Hong Kong (8.39). Least free were Zimbabwe (3.38), Burma (3.72), and Pakistan (4.47). The components on which the index is based can be divided into economic freedoms and other personal freedoms. Highest ranking in economic freedoms were Hong Kong (9.02) and Singapore (8.75). Highest ranking in personal freedoms were the Netherlands (9.5) and Uruguay (9.4).

Press Freedom Index

The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon the organization's assessment of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year. It reflects the degree of freedom that journalists, news organizations, and netizens enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom. Reporters Without Borders is careful to note that the index only deals with press freedom and does not measure the quality of journalism nor does it look at human rights violations in general.

Methodology

The report is based partly on a questionnaire sent to partner organizations of Reporters Without Borders (18 freedom of expression non-governmental organizations located in all five continents) and its 150 correspondents around the world, as well as to journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. The questionnaire asks questions about pluralism, media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, and infrastructure. The questionnaire takes account of the legal framework for the media (including penalties for press offences, the existence of a state monopoly for certain kinds of media and how the media are regulated) and the level of independence of the public media. It also reflects violations of the free flow of information on the Internet. Violence against journalists, netizens, and media assistants, including abuses attributable to the state, armed militias, clandestine organizations, and pressure groups, are monitored by RSF staff during the year and are also part of the final score. A smaller score corresponds to greater freedom of the press.

World Press Review

World Press Review (Worldpress.org) is an independent, nonpartisan New York based magazine founded in 1974 and initially published by Stanley Foundation and Teri Schure, with an online edition which was launched in 1997.

The headquarters of the magazine is in Farmingdale, New York. The monthly magazine which had a circulation of 50,000 stopped publication of its print version on its 30th anniversary in April 2004 with withdrawal of Stanley Foundation and instead put its focus on the electronic version.

Worldpress.org publishes originally written articles and analysis on various world issues from environment and human rights to regional politics and armed conflicts, as well as reprinted material from the press outside the United States. The magazine describes its mission as "to foster the international exchange of perspectives and information."

According to its editorial guideline, Worldpress.org mostly focuses on the issues which are barely reflected in the mainstream press, translating, reprinting, analyzing, and contextualizing what it evaluates as "the best of the international press" from more than 20 languages. For its originally written material, World Press relies on its web of freelancers from approximately 40 countries.

Press

Press may refer to:

Media

Machines