World press freedom index

Well here you go...... This one is certainly against the perceptions of who actually has a free press in today's world; which BTW just happens to be at the precipice of imminent rule by the capitalist elites. Even the fair go, so called egalitarian Australia has lurched to the extreme right under our new Abbott gov. The western world it appears, is under attack from the multinational corporations that rule the US gov, as seen in both trade agreements in the Pacific and Atlantic which Obama and the failed economists (GFC anyone?) are trying to hoist on us all.

Western media is increasingly controlled by what we mere mortals on the internet call the MSM (Main stream Media) from the like of Murdoch:

So who would anyone in the world perceive as the "light on the hill" and the pillar of freedom? Surely a country claiming such things would have the free-est press in the world don't you think? Or at least up near the top.  .....  

Actually here are the facts from the latest report on the Press Freedom Index, put out by Reporters Without Borders. You can download the thing for the entire world at the link, but here is where Australia and the US come in:

As can be seen, the US has much less freedom of the press than Australia, with Australia at number 28 and the US at 46. WTF? That can't be! Both the US and Australia, who proclaim themselves to be the leaders of the free world, are way down the list of press freedom. Even Australia comes in at an abysmal 28. So who's at the top of the list then?

Oh look.... New Zealand is way up at number 9! Well it looks like us Kiwi's could show these Aussies a few things or two about press freedom! How about just don't let a fossil from last century preach to us through his media what's right and wrong. That would be a really good start eh.