Freedom of the press continued to decline around the world for the sixth year in a row, according to the latest report from Freedom House. The decline in press freedom-which occurred in authoritarian countries and established democracies alike-continues a six-year negative trend.

North Korea, perhaps not surprisingly, got the worst ranking, followed by Burma. Other countries listed at the bottom include Cuba, Libya, and Turkmenistan. Russia, along with other former Soviet countries, showed the worst decline on a regional level.

Key regional findings include:

• Central and Eastern Europe/ Former Soviet Union: This region showed the largest region-wide setback, with Russia, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, and several Central European countries, among others, showing declines. Only 18 percent of the region's citizens live in environments with free media.

• Middle East and North Africa: More unrestricted access to new media such as satellite television and the Internet boosted press freedom regionally. Egyptian journalists showed an increased willingness to cross press freedom 'red lines,' moving the country into the Partly Free category.

• Asia-Pacific: Restrictions on media coverage were imposed in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and Vietnam's government cracked down on dissident writers.

• Americas: Guyana's status shifted from Free to Partly Free, while Mexico's score deteriorated by a further three points because of increased violence against journalists and impunity surrounding attacks on media.

• Sub-Saharan Africa: The region accounted for three of the year's five status changes: Benin declined from Free to Partly Free, while the Central African Republic and Niger moved into the Not Free category. Political conflict and misuse of libel laws were key factors behind a number of country declines.

• Western Europe: The region continued to have the highest level of press freedom worldwide, despite declines in Portugal, Malta and Turkey, the only country in the region ranked Partly Free.

"Improvements in a small number of countries were far overshadowed by a continued, relentless assault on independent news media," said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Freedom House senior researcher and managing editor of the survey. "We are particularly concerned that while abuses of press freedom continue unabated in restrictive environments such as China, threats are also apparent in countries with an established record of media freedom and in newer democracies in Central Europe and Africa."

A small number of countries showed improvements, including Egypt, which along with other countries benefits from the growing availability of satellite TV and online news, according to the report.

In the US, freedom of the press remains relatively good, though the US ranking worsened a tad as a result of a slight increase in physical attacks against journalists for the purpose of intimidation.