World divided on press freedom

In Egypt, perceptions of privately-funded news organisations are less positive than of those publicly-funded, while in the UAE the population is divided on press freedom, media ownership and having a say in news reporting decisions.

While an average of 56% across all countries think that freedom of the press is very important to ensure a free society, 40% believe that social harmony and peace are more important, even if it means controlling what is reported for the greater good.

56% of people in the 14 countries polled think the press and media in their country is free to report the news accurately without bias. Only 19% say there is little or no media freedom in their country.

Private and publicly funded news organisations receive similar ratings from the public when it comes to reporting the news honestly and accurately. 39% of people across all countries say publicly funded news agencies are doing a good job, while 43% say the same for private news organisations.

However, in some countries the poll shows concern over the ownership of private media. Strong majorities in Brazil (80%), Mexico (76%), USA (74%), and Great Britain (71%) believe that the concentration of media ownership in fewer hands is a concern because owners' political views emerge in reporting.

Of the countries where press freedom is most highly valued, Western developed countries are more critical of how honestly and accurately the news is reported, including Germany (28% average rating for good performance of public and private media), Great Britain (29%), and the USA (29%) whereas Venezuela (44%), South Africa (49%), Nigeria (58%), and Kenya (61%) rate the media performance more positively. (See diagram below).

In countries where social stability is more highly valued, those surveyed in India (61% good performance) and the UAE (52%) believe the news is being reported honestly, contrasting with a more negative view of press performance in Russia (27%), Mexico (28%), Brazil (31%) and Singapore (37%).

The survey was conducted for BBC World Service by the international polling firms GlobeScan Incorporated and Synovate. Fieldwork took place between October 1 and November 21, 2007.

GlobeScan President Doug Miller comments, 'While people generally support a free media, the Western view of the necessity of a free press to ensure a fair society is not universally shared across all regions of the world.'

The poll was commissioned as part of a season of programmes to celebrate BBC World Service's 75th Anniversary.

A total of 11,344 citizens in Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Venezuela were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone between October 1 and November 21, 2007. Polling was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international polling firms GlobeScan and Synovate and their research partners in each country. In 6 of the 14 countries, the sample was limited to major urban areas. The margin of error per country ranges from +/-2.5 to 4.4%.

Poll findings for Egypt and United Arab Emirates

Egypt
Overall, Egyptians do not express strong views on press freedom, media ownership and having a say in news reporting decisions. Perceptions of privately-funded news organisations are less positive than of those publicly-funded.

Fifty-five percent of Egyptians agree that press freedom is more important than stability, while slightly fewer (45%) believe stability is more important. The Egyptian media is perceived as relatively free 'to report the news accurately, truthfully and without undue political bias' - 64% of the population give a high freedom rating, compared with 56% globally. Perceptions of the honesty and accuracy of news reporting by government or publicly-funded news organisations are above average.

Forty-four percent of Egyptians give a 'good' performance rating, compared with 39% globally. However, perceptions of privately-funded organisations are less positive, with 33 percent giving a 'good job' rating (versus 43% worldwide) and 50% giving an 'average' rating (36% worldwide).

In spite of this, Egypt is one of only three countries where a majority believe media 'ownership is not an issue because media owners do not interfere with the news content'. Fifty-nine percent of Egyptians (35% overall) subscribe to this view, the highest proportion globally. The population is split almost equally between those who believe it is important for them to have a say in news reporting decisions and those who believe such decisions should be left to news organisations.

United Arab Emirates
In the United Arab Emirates, the population is divided on press freedom, media ownership and having a say in news reporting decisions.

UAE views on press freedom are fairly equally divided between those who agree freedom is more important than stability (51%) and those who agree that stability is more important (48%). The UAE media is perceived as similarly free to accurately report the news as the media globally. Fifty-six percent of UAE citizens give a high freedom rating, compared with 56% globally, while 23% give a low rating, compared with 19 percent globally. Perceptions of reporting by news organisations are favourable. Fifty-one percent of the UAE population give a high performance rating to the private media, compared with 43% globally.

There is virtually no differentiation between public and private media performance. In the UAE, views on media ownership are similar to those reported in Egypt. Fifty-four percent of people support the view that ownership is not an issue because owners do not interfere with news content, while 38% feel that media ownership is a major issue because owners' political views often emerge in the news. Again, in line with Egyptian views, UAE citizens are almost equally divided on the issue of having a say in news reporting decisions. Fifty percent of the UAE population think 'it is important that people like me should have a say in what gets reported in the news', while 48% think 'that decisions as to which stories get reported in the news are best left to news organisations'.