Reporters Without Borders has released their annual reports on press freedom in countries around the world, a clear indicator of what life is actually like in places from which we often only see glossy, sanitized and premasticated versions. This information gives a clue as to how accurate a picture we're getting of what's going on.

Many countries and all regions have been looked at, but I'll concentrate here on those I know readers have adopted from ...

Starting, as I tend to, with Cambodia, which took some unexpected ... and, as usual, faltering ... steps toward press freedom:

Mam Sonando, director of radio Sombok Khmum (Ruche FM 105), was freed in January under international pressure, three months after his arrest along with other figures critical of the government. The head of state followed this up with a draft law to decriminalise defamation, which was quickly passed by parliament. This decision made Cambodia one of the very few Asian countries to stop imposing prison sentences for libel or slander. But Hun Sen publicly reminded journalists that they risked heavy fines if they attacked him.

Then there'sChina, where the report is long, involved and worth a click:

Faced with burgeoning social unrest and journalists who are becoming much less compliant, the authorities, directed by President Hu Jintao, have been bringing the media to heel in the name of a “harmonious society”. The press is being forced into self-censorship, the Internet is filtered and foreign media very closely watched.

More journalists were handed down prison sentences in 2006.

... On the other hand, Gao Qinrong and Jiang Weiping, who were serving harsh prison sentences for investigating corruption, were released in 2006 before the end of their sentences. One journalist, Yu Dongyue, who was arrested during the Tiananmen Square massacres of 1989, was released in February but had been driven insane as a result of long periods in solitary confinement. At least 31 journalists were in jail as of 1st January 2007.

The list of subjects banned as being contrary to "harmonious society" includes demonstrations by peasants, anything to do with Tibet, avian flu, and even the 30th anniversary of the death of Mao. (He's still dead. Is that news?)

Continued ...