( CNN ) -- `` Global declines in press freedom '' persisted last year , with setbacks highlighted in Israel , Italy , Taiwan , Hong Kong and elsewhere across the world , an annual survey said Friday . Media freedom campaigners don gags during a news conference in Hong Kong in April 2008 . Freedom House , a nongovernmental organization that supports democracy and freedom of the media , said in its annual press freedom survey that `` negative trends '' outweighed `` positive movements in every region , particularly in the former Soviet Union , the Middle East and North Africa . '' `` This marked the seventh straight year of overall deterioration . Improvements in a small number of countries -- including bright spots in parts of South Asia and Africa -- were overshadowed by a continued , relentless assault on independent news media by a wide range of actions , in both authoritarian states and countries with very open media environments . '' Israel -- once the only country to be consistently rated free by the group in the Middle East and North Africa -- was ranked as `` partly free '' because of the Gaza conflict . The report cited `` increased travel restrictions on both Israeli and foreign reporters ; official attempts to influence media coverage of the conflict within Israel ; and greater self-censorship and biased reporting , particularly during the outbreak of open war in late December . '' Elsewhere in the Middle East , there are concerns about harassment of journalists and bloggers in Libya , Iran , Syria , Tunisia and Saudi Arabia . The drop in violence in war-torn Iraq helped journalists move around the country , and a new law in the Kurdish region gave journalists `` unprecedented freedoms . '' Hong Kong , which is part of China , also dropped in rankings from free to partly free , a reflection of `` the growing influence of Beijing over media and free expression in the territory . '' `` Of particular concern were the appointment of 10 owners of Hong Kong media outlets to a mainland Chinese political advisory body , increased restrictions on film releases in the period surrounding the Olympics , and reports that critics of Beijing encountered growing difficulty in gaining access to Hong Kong media platforms . '' The report cited deterioration of of freedoms in Taiwan , which has been characterized as East Asia 's freest media environment . That 's because of `` legal pressures and attempts to control broadcast media outlets . '' Italy dropped from free to partly free because of the `` increased use of courts and libel laws to limit free speech , heightened physical and extralegal intimidation by both organized crime and far-right groups , and concerns over media ownership and influence , '' the report said . It cited fears about media magnate Silvio Berlusconi becoming prime minister again . There are concerns about `` the concentration of state-owned and private outlets under a single leader . '' In the former Soviet Union , `` legal pressure and attempts to control broadcast media outlets '' were cited in Russia , Armenia and Kyrgyzstan . The report noted other problems in Russia , saying `` reporters suffer from a high level of personal insecurity , and impunity for past murders or physical attacks against journalists is the norm . '' Across Africa , there were `` some improvements , '' citing developments in Comoros , Sierra Leone , Angola , and Liberia . But there were continued problems in places like Zimbabwe and Eritrea . `` Senegal took a significant step backward due to a dramatic increase in both legal and extralegal action against journalists and media houses , accompanied by overtly hostile rhetoric from the president and other officials , '' the report said . The report cited strides in South Asian nations , ranking the once `` not free '' Maldives to `` partly free . '' It mentioned a `` new constitution protecting freedom of expression , the opening of additional private radio and television stations , the release of a prominent journalist from life imprisonment , and a general loosening of restrictions after the country 's first democratic presidential election in October . '' It said Bangladesh and Pakistan reversed declines in freedom of the media . But there were setbacks in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka , two countries racked by warfare . In some countries in the Americas , such as Mexico , Bolivia and Ecuador , `` attacks and official rhetoric against the media escalated . '' Venezuela and Cuba were ranked as not free , and there were `` high levels of intimidation and self-censorship '' in Colombia and Guatemala . Positive developments were noted in Guyana , Haiti and Uruguay . The worst-rated countries in the world are Myanmar , Cuba , Eritrea , Libya , North Korea and Turkmenistan . `` Given the current economic climate , which is certain to place a further strain on media sustainability and diversity in rich and poor countries alike , pressures on media freedom are now looming from all angles and are increasingly threatening the considerable gains of the past quarter-century , '' the report said .
Annual survey says `` negative trends '' outweighed `` positive movements '' in Annual . Report singles out former Cuba , Africa , North Africa . Bright spots seen in parts of South Asia , Africa . Worst-rated countries : Myanmar , Cuba , North Africa , Libya , North Korea , Libya .