Nation Slightly Improves Position in Press Freedom Index
Estonia climbed one notch in the global press freedom index annually published by the human rights organization Freedom House.
The Freedom of Press 2012 report places Estonia 22nd along with Costa Rica and the US, whereas last year the nation shared the 23rd position with Costa Rica and Jamaica.
The assessments were much more positive for instance in 2009, when Estonia's standing was 14th. A year later it dropped to 19th.
This year, the top position was shared by Finland, Norway and Sweden. North Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Equatorial Guinea stood at the other end of the scale.
In total, Freedom House examined the state of press freedom in 197 countries, taking into account 109 indicators broadly divided into three categories: legal, political and economic. The report found the press in 33.5 percent of the scrutinized countries, including Estonia, to be free, whereas in 36.5 percent of the countries it was deemed partially free and in the rest, not free.
Ingrid Teesalu