Freedom Of The Press Presentation Professional Version
15
Freedom of the Press Tre Rodriguez What factors contribute?
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The freedom of a countries press is important as an indicator of the overall freedom experienced by the citizens of that country. The press acts to facilitate the spread of information and to keep governments accountable. This is the visual representation of the 64 page report I did including regression analysis of the factors contributing to a countries ranking on the Reporters Without Borders: Freedom of the Press Index 2008.
Transcript of Freedom Of The Press Presentation Professional Version
Freedom of the Press
Tre Rodriguez
What factors contribute?
Introduction: Freedom of Press
Purpose of Research
To use regression analysis to quantify the contribution of various factors to predict a country's ranking on the Freedom of the Press Index of 2008.
BackgroundWhy does a free press matter?
Information
Accountability
Why are influences important?
Foster supportive environment
Mitigate/predict suppressors
Background
“Reporters Without Borders … reflects the degree
of freedom of journalists
and news organizations …”
Dependent VariableY = Country Ranking on the Freedom of
Press Index 2008 Collected Data on 173 countries
Between Sept 2007-Sept 2008
Index accounts for Murders Imprisonment Physical attacks/threats Censorship Confiscation Searches Harassment
Freedom of Press Index - Partial
Rank Country Rank Country
1 Iceland 22 Costa Rica
2 Luxembourg 23 Hungary
3 Norway 24 Namibia
4 Estonia 25 United Kingdom
5 Finland 26 Surinam
6 Ireland 27 Trinidad and Tobago
7 Belgium 28 Australia
8 Latvia 29 Japan
9 New Zealand 30 Slovenia
10 Slovakia 31 Cyprus
11 Sweden 32 Ghana
12 Switzerland 33 Greece
13 Canada 34 Mali
14 Austria 35 France
15 Denmark 36 Bosnia and Herzegovina
16 Czech Republic 37 Cape Verde
17 Lithuania 38 South Africa
18 Netherlands 39 Spain
19 Portugal 40 Taiwan
20 Germany 41 United States of America
21 Jamaica
Possible Explanatory Variables (Xs)
Urbanization Level
Infant Mortality
Literacy Rate
Predominant Religion
GDP per Capita
System of Government
Analytical Choices - 1
Functional Form for Regression
Semi log: some variables impact increase at a decreasing rate, so we take the log of their values to normalize their impact.
Analytical Choices - 2
Specification – Inclusion of x Variables
TheoryT-testAdjusted R-squaredBias
Analytical Choices – 3
RANK = 92.94 + 53.19AUTH + 68.63MUS + (t = 3.90) (t = 9.30)
-7.54 log GDP + 68.51COM + € (t = 3.44) (t = 4.14)
Adjusted R2= .57 Durbin-Watson = .50
Technical Questions
1. Specification: Independent variables
2. Specification: Functional Form
3. Multicollinearity
4. Serial Correlation
5. Heteroskedasticity
Any violations of OLS Assumptions?
Conclusion: Scope/Applicability of Results
They do say: Sample Specific (173 countries) Holding present variables constant
They do not: Account for influence of
omitted variables Prove causation
World Map: Freedom of Press
How free is your press?
Data Sources
