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It sounds impressive – 40-42nd position out of 197 that we share with Dominica and Suriname. We did OK, even bearing in mind that we are still slightly behind Estonia, Norway, Sweden, the Bahamas and Barbados.
“Still” because I have no doubt that, had Freedom House announced their rankings one or two months ago, we would have certainly outdone Jamaica, San Marino and Andora, not to mention the Bahamas and Barbados.
There has been so much free press and free speech in Lithuania lately, that no other place or time could hope to equal it. Perhaps only Cuba, Russia, and Belarus – if we're talking about the press that feeds off the the regime's coffers and is perfectly free to write and speak on pre-approved list of topics.
Lithuania is not Cuba nor Russia. So the authorities have no power over press. Well, sometimes some self-important advisor tries to teach journalists a lesson on how to write and what questions to ask about energy projects or foreign policy.
But such attempts remain nothing more than attempts, because in Lithuania, unlike in Cuba or Russia, self-important advisors have no real power.
True, sometimes they do manage to nurture a pair of court reporters who agree to wag their tails instead of barking in exchange for an invitation to a gala reception, a medal, or a trip to America. But these are usually short-term arrangements that do not last and bring no significant consequence. Because there is always more of those who do not wag their tails.
And the ranks of the latter are growing. Of those who do not only bark, but have no scruple to lift a leg in reaction to people who have and express differing opinions.
“Idiot,” “commie pig,” “imbecile,” “bullshitter,” “retard,” “dalbayob” – these are but several and by far not the strongest words that certain individuals – sometimes calling themselves journalists – freely and publicly award to their opponents. By the way, name-calling is backed by strongly-worded arguments – their names feature in major media outlets and their faces often appear on TV (in that case, they are promoted to the ranks of “public figures”).
There are essentially no limits to that – one can publicly call the president “a frigid bitch,” like Arkadijus Vinokuras, a well-known commentator, recently did in his blog. Or one could supplement the name of the leader of Lithuania's biggest opposition party (the Social Democrats), Algirdas Butkevičius, with a title “prick,” just like in a Facebook post by conservative political analyst Audrius Bačiulis, who publishes his commentaries in reputable magazine “Veidas.”
There has been no response whatsoever – neither from politicians themselves, nor from the law enforcement or media self-regulatory bodies. And that must essentially mean that it's the kind of free press and free speech that Lithuania finds acceptable and commendable.
If that is the case, we are certainly overtaking Jamaica and Barbados in next year's Freedom House rankings. Will that really make us enjoy our free press and free speech?
The author is a journalist, political analyst, and blogger.
