公讌

The United States (53rd) has fallen nine places since last year, after being in 17th position in the first year of the Index, in 2002. Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the president used the pretext of “national security” to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his “war on terrorism.” The zeal of federal courts which, unlike those in 33 US states, refuse to recognise the media’s right not to reveal its sources, even threatens journalists whose investigations have no connection at all with terrorism.

Freelance journalist and blogger Josh Wolf was imprisoned when he refused to hand over his video archives. Sudanese cameraman Sami al-Haj, who works for the pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, has been held without trial since June 2002 at the US military base at Guantanamo, and Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein has been held by US authorities in Iraq since April this year.

第53名的美國，從去年的榜單上一路下滑了九位，在2002第一年度的排行曾經是第17名，五年來共下滑36位。這全是因為媒體與布希政府之間的關係惡化，由於新聞工作者對美國總統以「國家安全」為藉口所付諸的「為恐怖主義而戰」，不斷的提出強烈的質疑。某些聯邦法庭甚至與美國其他三十三個州背道而馳（＊引用者註），拒絕承認媒體所該有的保護消息來源的權力，也不公開扣押阿拉伯裔記者的原因，甚而威脅調查根本與恐怖主義無關聯的新聞工作者。