11 Worst Countries for Journalists in 2015

7. Vietnam

Score – 14

Being a journalist in Vietnam is surely hard, considering that it received points for three out of four topics – censorship, press freedom, and a number of imprisoned journalists.

Vietnam landed on the 6^th place on the list of the most censored countries in 2015. Considering that, by law, all media must serve as a propaganda tool for the government and the president and that it’s forbidden for any print or broadcast outlets to be owned privately, it’s pretty easy to see why they’re in the situation they’re in. Not even the Internet is safe as social media platforms are censored as well, making anyone posting foreign news articles or materials that are deemed as harmful eligible for prison time.

What’s more, those who don’t abide and fight against the system are imprisoned. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Vietnam has imprisoned 6 journalists in 2015, with the total number running higher. Vietnam is also the 175^th country out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index.

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