On April 16, major Taiwanese news media, Liberty Times Network (LTN), reported on the 2017 Press Freedom Index that Reporters Without Borders recently released. Taiwan was ranked number 45, a 6-step improvement from last year’s rank. Taiwan’s rank is now at the top of Asia. The five countries at the bottom of the global list are China, Syria, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, and North Korea. According to Reporters Without Borders, the ranking was based on assessments in multiple categories like media diversity, the degree of media independence, and reporter security. Reporters Without Borders pointed out that freedom of the press has never faced such a threatening level as it does today. Even in democratic countries, press freedom is becoming more and more fragile. Reporters Without Borders also announce that the organization is giving up on Hong Kong and decided to move its Asian branch office to Taiwan. In the 2017 report, the top five countries are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The United States is ranked at 43 and Hong Kong is 73.
Source: Liberty Times Network, April 26, 2017
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/2048146