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| National debt makes strange bedfellows. |
There is not much freedom in the "Free World" nowadays. A new survey of press freedom around the world finds the United States has plunged 13 spots, now ranking just 46th among 180 countries. The annual survey by Reporters Without Borders also says Syria is the most dangerous country for journalists, showing a correlation between conflict zones and a low level of press freedom. Other countries that fell lower than in the previous year’s survey include the civil-war-torn Central African Republic, down 43 spots to 109, and Guatemala, where four journalists were killed last year alone. This comes as the United Nations General Assembly recently adopted its first resolution on the safety of journalists. The group has now called on the United Nations to monitor how member states meet their obligations to protect reporters. Delphine Halgand of Reporters Without Borders is interviewed.
Russia's Pres. Putin has spent more than $50 billion on the Winter Games in Sochi, making this the most expensive Olympics in history. In the lead-up, Russia has faced worldwide criticism and calls for boycotts, especially after it passed a law in June banning the spread of so-called "gay propaganda" to children. Roundtable: Dave Zirin, sports columnist for The Nation magazine and author of Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down; Samantha Retrosi, a luge athlete who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics; historian and former U.S. Olympic soccer player, Jules Boykoff, author of Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games; and Helen Lenskyj, author of several books on the Olympics, including Gender Politics and the Olympic Industry and the forthcoming book, Sexual Diversity and the Sochi 2014 Olympics: No More Rainbows.
Russia's Pres. Putin has spent more than $50 billion on the Winter Games in Sochi, making this the most expensive Olympics in history. In the lead-up, Russia has faced worldwide criticism and calls for boycotts, especially after it passed a law in June banning the spread of so-called "gay propaganda" to children. Roundtable: Dave Zirin, sports columnist for The Nation magazine and author of Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down; Samantha Retrosi, a luge athlete who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics; historian and former U.S. Olympic soccer player, Jules Boykoff, author of Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games; and Helen Lenskyj, author of several books on the Olympics, including Gender Politics and the Olympic Industry and the forthcoming book, Sexual Diversity and the Sochi 2014 Olympics: No More Rainbows.
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