DISINFO: There is no press freedom in the West
SUMMARY
Latvia’s decision to revoke the broadcasting license of Dozhd, a Russian liberal TV channel, should be a wake-up call to all journalists who still harbour any illusions about press freedom in the West.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about censorship and control of the media in the West.
The European Union as a whole is committed to respecting the freedom and pluralism of the media as well as the right to freedom of expression - which includes the right to receive and impart information without interference by public authority. Currently, the EU is preparing a 'Media Freedom Act', a law that will include rules on cross-border functioning and ownership of media inside the EU to prevent government interference.
According to Reporters Without Borders, the nations with the most press freedom and freedom of speech are Western countries, with European nations predominating, as well as Canada and the United States. In contrast, Russia, with increasing authoritarian trends, ranks 150th out of 180 in the press freedom rankings, where researchers say the Kremlin is determined to control the Internet and the media. For an in-depth look at the situation of Russian state-controlled mass media read here.
Read similar cases claiming that The West cannot cope with freedom of opinion and imposes censorship, that Freedom of expression allowed only to denounce white Americans as racist or that The era of liberal democracy and freedom of speech is over – corporations and states are unified in promotion of censorship.
See also our account of the censorship laws in Russia here.