Failing Freedom?

In a country where we value our freedom so highly, it is interesting to see our 36th place ranking for press freedom, according to the recent study by Reporters Without Borders (RWB). Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, South Africa, Spain and Taiwan all share the 36th ranking with us.

So some may say, "Well 36th sounds pretty good, right?" Well, if you look at many of the countries that have a better ranking, you may be surprised. Iceland, Norway and Luxembourg are all tied for first- no big shocker there. But Jamaica, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Japan rank better and have more press freedom. RWB claims that the amount of peace in a country is directly related to free press, which completely makes sense. The U.S. and Israel are in a particularly fragile state, which negatively impacts free press.

So, what lesson can be drawn from all of this? Well, it is particularly interesting to note all the worthless bullshit that is thrown at us from the media, especially stories covering celebrities and useless lifestyle articles. Where are the newspapers covering third-party candidates? Or articles with more international news? It is impossible to know who really controls the media, but it clear that it is controlled by a handful of powerful companies, each with their own special interests. According to FreePress, the "Big Six" companies that control virtually all of the media are:

(1)General Electric
(2)Time Warner
(3)Walt Disney
(4)News Corp.
(5)CBS
(6)Viacom

How can we trust various websites when they are all controlled by the same companies? There are so many embedded journalists working to satisfy the needs of corporations- how is it possible for free press to exist when any journalist who rebels against the system is simply not printed?

There is no simple solution to improving free speech and press. All we can do is try to aim for peace. In a peaceful society, the government does not have to manipulate the media to run stories that distract citizens' attention away from the real issues. We must constantly remember that the media is not independent and take everything they publish with a grain of salt.