Belgium drops one place in press freedom ranking

Belgium ranks 21st in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index, in the company of Canada and Poland, according to the French NGO Reporters Without Borders. In the previous classification, for 2011-2012, Belgium ranked 20th. Finland is the most media-friendly country, followed by the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Andorra, Denmark, Liechtenstein and New Zealand. Eritrea comes in last, right after North Korea, Turmenistan, Syria, Somalia, Iran and China. The United States, meanwhile, dangles from the 32nd rung in the ranking. "The index published by Reporters Without Borders, does not directly take into account the nature of the political regimes," said Christophe Deloire of Reporters Without Borders. "Yet it is clear that democracies in general equal better protection of the freedom of production and dissemination of factual information than countries where human rights are violated."