Freedom of press more important than social stability, survey finds [Archives:2007/1114/Local News]

A recent survey conducted by international research firms GlobeScan and Synovate for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) showed that freedom of the press is more important than social stability.

11,344 people were interviewed in 14 countries for the survey, including Kenya, India, Nigeria, Egypt, Venezuela, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States of America, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, Mexico, and Singapore.

56 percent of the people interviewed thought that freedom of the press was very important to ensure a free society. But 40 percent said maintaining social harmony and peace was more important, even if it meant curbing the press' freedom to report news truthfully.

The strongest endorsement came from North America and Western Europe, where as many as 70% put freedom first, followed by Venezuela, Kenya and South Africa, with over 60% in support of freedom.

In contrast, people in India, Singapore and Russia favored stability over press freedom. In those countries, around 48% of respondents supported control over the press to ensure peace and stability, while 40% expressed the view that press freedom was more important.

Developed countries criticize their media

They survey noted that some developed countries were critical of their own media's honesty and accuracy.

In the United States, Britain and Germany, only around 29% of those interviewed thought their media did a good job in reporting news accurately.

Chris Coulter, vice-president of GlobeScan, the company that led the research, said, “Despite the fact that people in Britain really value freedom of the press