The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders says that three Asian countries have the worst records when it comes to freedom of the press.
The Paris-based organization ranked 139 countries in a report published this week. North Korea was ranked the worst country for journalists, with China and Burma just behind.
The Himalayan nation of Bhutan and the Central Asian former Soviet Republic of Turkmenistan round out the bottom five.
The top 11 countries are all in Europe, with Finland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands top-ranked. The United States is ranked number 17.
This is the first press freedom list compiled by Reporters Without Borders. In conducting their research, the group asked 50 questions of journalists, researchers, and legal experts about press freedom violations in their countries.
Information for this report is provided by RSF Press Freedom Index.