Press Freedom lessening, says Freedom House

The world is an increasingly hostile place for journalists.

Freedom House released Freedom of the Press 2008: A Global Survey of Media Independence in advance of World Press Freedom Day on May 3. Release materials– including country scores, draft reports, the overview essay, and the methodology– are now available. The survey, released annually since 1980, assess the degree of press freedom in every country in the world.

According to this year’s survery, press freedom declines outnumbered advances two to one in 2007, with declines seen in authoritarian countries and established democracies.

Here’s the story by AP. The Moscow Times  — notably — ran a set-up piece.