Free speech remains an important topic all over the world. As part of free speech, we must consider the freedom of press and internet access as part the discussion. Every country approaches these rights differently: some are strict and control every aspect of free speech, while others are lenient and allow the people to say what they like. Access to the Internet is important not just for free speech, but also access to knowledge, health care, economic development, social connections and more. This assignment will cover both free speech and internet access:
Part 1:The link above is the world press freedom ranking, which ranks countries and how free their press is. Use the link to answer the following questions:
- Question 1: Looking at the , explain the key points listed on the website
- Question 2: Use the link on the United States page to view the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Read through the front page (equipment damages, journalists killed, etc.) What is your opinion on the statistics and map listed on the website?
- Question 3: Not including the United States, select six countries from the World Press Freedom Rankings, one from each of the following continents (Africa, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America). Use https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_continents if you’d like to check if a country is in a certain continent.
- Remember that many island nations and Central American countries are included in North America besides Canada and Mexico! List the six countries you selected, along with their current ranking on the website.
- Question 4: List the key points in each of the six countries you selected. For each country, do you think it is generally supportive of free speech? Is there anything particularly concerning to you?
Part Two:
Use this link to the report from Freedom House explaining global internet freedom during the pandemic to answer the following questions:
- Question 5: How are countries around the world using the pandemic to restrict internet access and free speech online? (6-8 sentences)
- Question 6: How has internet freedom worsened in the United States? (3-5 sentences)
- Question 7: The world is well over a year into the pandemic. Based on the information in this study do you think internet freedom will improve or worsen around the world? Why or why not? (6-8 sentences)
