Freedom of the Press in the Middle East

(2004)

Freedom House’s annual press freedom survey has tracked trends in media freedom worldwide since 1980. Now covering 192 countries and 1 territory, Freedom of the Press: A Global Survey of Media Independence rates each country’s media as “Free,” “Partly Free,” or “Not Free.” Of the 19 Middle Eastern and North African countries, only one, Israel, is rated Free. One country, Kuwait is Partly Free, while 17 are Not Free. In 2003, Morocco slipped over the cusp to Not Free, primarily as a result of restrictive anti-terrorist legislation and a legal crackdown on critical media voices. The Middle East is the only region with an average rating of Not Free.