ABC, CBS, and NBC's morning and evening newscasts have so far punted on reporting the strong critique of the Obama administration's "disturbing retreat from democratic practices" with regard to the freedom of the press, according to Reporters Without Borders. The U.S. fell 13 places in the international group's annual "World Press Freedom Index" for the federal government's "increased efforts to track down whistleblowers and the sources of leaks."
The organization spotlighted the controversial leaks from Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden as examples, but also included the Department of Justice's seizure of the Associated Press' phone records as a "reminder of the urgent need for a 'shield law' to protect the confidentiality of journalists' sources at the federal level." Fox News' Shannon Bream devoted a brief to the Reporters Without Borders report on the 12 February 2014 edition of Special Report:
SHANNON BREAM: A group monitoring freedom of the press worldwide has issued a strong rebuke to the U.S. The World Press Freedom Index ranks the U.S. 46th this year, down from – 13 spots down from last year. Reporters Without Borders says the U.S. had – quote, 'one of the most significant declines in press freedom.' It cites the government's pursuit of Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, and the A.P. phone-tapping scandal. Forty-sixth place puts the U.S. between Romania and Haiti on the press freedom index.