Comments on: Japan is Falling! America, too! HELP! Save us, Abe-man!

by: DeOrio

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 19:19:29 +0000

I’m sure there are people in Iceland, maybe not many, but some, who grumble about the idiots in their government.
Perhaps not having a government full of idiots up against which to stand (a nod to Churchill, my tongue also firmly in cheek) is what makes their press free.
I would guess that Iceland has something on the order of 60 Minutes, it having such a free press. (Northern European, especially Nordic, countries keep coming up. I’d really appreciate if if anyone who knows more about that part of the world would comment here and straighten me out.) I’d also say that not having their government reach the level of secrecy and corruption of the American government could be a sign that Icelandic journalists are doing something right.
It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario. Does having an open, accountable, honest government lead to a freer press or does having a freer, or more dogged, press lead to better government?
The main point, though, is the RSF Press Freedom Index is not a measure of journalistic accomplishment or quality, but a measure of the restrictions placed on and threats faced by professional print journalists. (I’ve been typing that sentence a lot lately.)
A country could have a press corps consisting entirely of blind, deaf, mute, quadriplaegic, mentally challenged, adamantly pro-government illiterates and rank very highly in the Press Freedom Index. The point is how freely they are allowed to go about their work.
(And I pointed out that string of disabilities as things that would make being a journalist more difficult in combination. I was not implying that people with any one of those disabilities, except maybe being mentally challenged, would be incapable of being a good journalist. Some of my best friends are blind, deaf, mute, quadriplaegic, mentally challenged, adamantly pro-government illiterates.)

by: John Sheridan

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:58:18 +0000

Seriously, guys - Iceland? Come on…what kind of investigative journalism is going on there that has affected the world like the Pentagon Papers or even what 60 Minutes does? Sure they’re free - they don’t have a government full of idiots to stand up against.

by: DeOrio

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 12:35:50 +0000

Sadly, I’ve seen most of those over the last couple of days already.
The liberal thing is big with Americans, so is criticism of RSF for not considering blogging, which is irrelevant as they are concerned with restrictions placed on and threats to professional, primarily print, journalists.
In Japan, I don’t think there’s much awareness of the Index, although it was mentioned on the front page of at least the Japan Times, as a Reuters story, and appeared, although not so prominently in at least one Japanese paper. I don’t think the average Japanese reader takes as much umbrage at the ranking as the average American reader, but would probably just go with the standard, “They don’t understand Japanese systems,” argument.

by: Ken Worsley

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 11:52:05 +0000

refusing to hear any criticism of their societies or their countries

Perhaps the one strongest thing the top two economies in the world have in common. I would add institutions to that list as well.

Some prefab criticisms I’m sure we’ll hear:

“RSF’s findings are invalid because they’re European and thus have an anti-(American/Japanese) agenda.”

“RSF’s methodology simply makes no sense.”

“The low ranking is the press’ own fault for not properly exercising their freedoms.”

“The media/press in (America/Japan) is to blame for pushing entertainment over serious news. If they’d only focus on the issues, like we wish they would.”

“Who are Europeans to criticize America? Typical European ingratitude.”

“This is a natural consequence of a liberal bias in the media. If the media weren’t run by liberals and bullied by special interest groups, it would be free.”

by: DeOrio

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 11:06:28 +0000

I agree, Ken. You can see in discussions of these rankings that even the people of the US and Japan are defensive and immediately attack RSF, the group that compiles the Index, as biased. A lot of people draw irrelevant conclusions or attack the press, point to free papers or talk about the worse conditions in other countries. Brining up relative economic weight is also popular.
Perhaps the reason Northern European countries are able to consistently pair high standards of living with high levels of journalistic and lifestyle freedom has to do with a willingness to accept criticism and learn from it instead of reacting in a defensive, almost knee-jerk fashion, refusing to hear any criticism of their societies or their countries.

by: Ken Worsley

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 10:05:35 +0000

I don’t know what to say, really. In this space, only the tip of the iceberg can be scratched. Both countries ought to be ashamed of themselves, butI’m sure neither are. If questioned about these results, the relevant leaders would be sure to declare the methodology invalid and shoot the messenger.

I don’t see the press situation getting any better. Abe’s already declared that he won’t give the press nearly as much time as Koizumi did, and that he won’t answer any questions while walking.