"Significant advances in Freedom of Expression and Media Integrity, as measured in the GSoD Indices, have been achieved in the last four decades. Citizens around the world are today more able to enjoy the freedom to openly discuss political issues, and to have access to a diverse and critical media, ... than they were 40 years ago. These advances go hand in hand with the global democratic expansion witnessed since the third wave of democratization initiated in the 1970s. However, the last decade has seen an increasing number of countries declining on these measures. These declines are seen across all ranges of democratic performance, with Europe being the region with the greatest number of countries experiencing declines. The explanatory factors for the declines vary across countries. In some cases, the declines have occurred in the context of general democratic breakdown, aimed at limiting the space for opposition, silencing critical voices and manipulating electoral processes, while in other cases, it has occurred in a context of less severe democratic deterioration, explained by the rise of nationalist political parties, and justified by arguments of national sovereignty, law and order, national security and firm responses to terrorism. Democracies nurture themselves from a range of societal voices, critical and less critical of the state. However, if the critical voices are silenced, the space for democratic deliberation narrows. Thus, independent of the driving factors, the declines in Freedom of Expression and Media Integrity represent a weakening of an important mechanism of democratic accountability. It is essential for regimes, international actors and civil society to take every step possible to ensure that these rights are safeguarded, so that societies can benefit from the full range of views that make up the democratic fabric of societies." (Conclusion, page 8) more