The Good News of the Week: Norway tops Press Freedom Index
"The crisis we are in has made us more aware of the importance of reliable information," says President of the Board of Norwegian PEN, Kjersti Løken Stavrum.
The annual World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders, ranks Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden on top four. The index measures independence of the media, freedom of journalists and freedom of speech in 180 countries, and was released on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May.
"Being number one is not a reason to sit back and relax,"
“It comes with a great responsibility of taking good care of freedom of expression and inspiring other countries to perform better. For example, both Norway and Denmark have set down commissions for freedom of speech, something that can be of inspiration to other countries.”
The discussion about press freedom is also affected by the Corona crisis. China and Iran, who have been criticized for having held back information about the virus, are both among the ten lowest ranking countries on the list. Hungary and Brazil are also moving down on the index.
«The crisis we are going through right now, shows how important it is to have access to facts and trustworthy news. It also shows how dangerous fake news can be, says Løken Stavrum. “People are more aware than ever of the importance of medias’ credibility. That is, in itself, good news for the principle of freedom of speech.”
Did you know that there are many journalists and writers among the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize? Among those who have received the prize for their fight for freedom of expression are: Carl von Ossietzky and Liu Xiaobo.
Every Friday at noon, the Nobel Peace Center will release a peace dove together with “The good news of the week.”The dove is released from a window at the Nobel Peace Center, situated on the City Hall Square. As the dove crosses the square, the John Lennon song Give Peace a Chance will play from the bell towers.
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