Reporters Without Borders ranks Russa 141st for media freedom in 2008 press freedom index

Earlier today, the international organization Reporters Without Borders ranked Russia 141 out of 173 countries in terms of press freedom, with Mexico standing 140 and Ethiopia at 142. The ranking is based on events taking place between September 1, 2007 to September 1, 2008 and reflects the degree of freedom that journalists and the media have, as well as the effort made by the government and authorities to respect press freedom. Authors of the report say that Russia's journalists are still subject to violence and harrassment, and although the country has climbed a few places since it's 144 ranking in 2007, it still ranks poorly in terms of press freedom.

I found this article very interesting because we had been talking about Reporters Without Borders, as well as other such organizations, earlier in the semester. It interested me that despite the murder of Politkovskaya on October 7, 2007 and other such occurances since then, Russia was still able to climb a few spots in terms of press freedom ranking. It makes sense, however, that the country is still considered "not free" in terms of the press and that they rank so low, still, despite their climb.

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Also, in other Russian news, this past Tuesday, top military officers from Russia and the U.S. met secretly in the neutral capital of Helsinki, Finland to discuss their strained post-war in Georgia relationship and to try to get it back on track, according to a StarTribune article yesterday. It was organized at the request of the Russians, according to U.S. military officials. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with counterpart Gen. Nikolai Makarov and discussed the war in Georgia; NATO's relations with Russia, and how to improve cooperation on countering terrorism. Though Mullen offered no details, he said that dialogue will continue between the two countries.

I found this article very interesting as well because Russia arranged the meeting with the U.S. which shows that they are seeking our alliance and support. I think that this meeting is a good sign for Americans, Russians and the globe alike because I personally believe that cooperation, communication and understanding between any countries is a very beneficial and good thing to the world in general. Hopefully dialogue between the two countries will continue in a cooperative manner.

By Lauren Chapman