Global Corruption WEB
Metadata
- Global Corruption WEB
- January 26, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English FOR USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Global Corruption (TV) HEADLINE: Global Corruption on the Rise Amid ‘Democratic Decline’ TEASER: Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’ shows backsliding in the United States, Canada and Australia over past decade PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 01/26/2022 1:58 pm BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: London VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Ridgwell VIDEO EDITOR: PRODUCER: Marcus Harton SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): AFP, APTN, Reuters, Teams PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 2:49 VID APPROVED BY: BR TYPE: VPKGN EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[The fight against corruption has stagnated amid human rights abuses and democratic declines in all regions of the world, according to an analysis by the group Transparency International. Henry Ridgwell has details from London.]] ((NARRATOR)) The Corruption Perception Index ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, using data from dozens of sources including the World Bank. The 2021 report shows that in 86 per cent of countries, there has been little or no improvement over the past decade. Across the world, 25 countries made significant progress in fighting corruption and rose up the index. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) ((Teams, no courtesy needed) “The only place where we do not see any significant improvement however is in the Middle East and North Africa.” ((NARRATOR)) Several Western democracies have slipped down the rankings – including the United States, Canada, and Australia. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) “This is a wake-up call for many of the countries at the top of the index that they need to take care of their institutions, they need to pay attention to the issue of corruption because I think it is much harder to build back what you lost than to preserve what you have and improve from there. We have also had the spread of disinformation and of fake news, which weakened I think the credibility of one of the most important watchdogs for anti-corruption, which is the media and the press.” ((NARRATOR)) EU member states such as Poland and Hungary have also seen sharp declines. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) “We have seen a clampdown on press freedom, we have seen also a clampdown on academic freedom, even with some universities having to leave the country.” ((NARRATOR)) Somalia, Syria and South Sudan – countries riven by conflict - remain at the bottom of the index. While in Mali, perceived corruption has increased following successive military coups. The Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte also has seen a big increase in corruption alongside a crackdown on freedom of expression. Similarly, perceived corruption in Venezuela has sharply increased under President Nicolás Maduro. But there are some improvements – most notably in the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, and in Armenia. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) “Where the old government was ousted by civil protests a few years ago, and now we have a more reformist government that is really committing to the fight against corruption.” ((NARRATOR)) Transparency International identified a clear pattern in the data: as rights and freedoms erode and democracy declines, authoritarianism takes its place, contributing to even higher levels of corruption. ((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
- Transcript/Script FOR USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Global Corruption (TV) HEADLINE: Global Corruption on the Rise Amid ‘Democratic Decline’ TEASER: Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’ shows backsliding in the United States, Canada and Australia over past decade PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 01/26/2022 1:58 pm BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: London VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Ridgwell VIDEO EDITOR: PRODUCER: Marcus Harton SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): AFP, APTN, Reuters, Teams PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 2:49 VID APPROVED BY: BR TYPE: VPKGN EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[The fight against corruption has stagnated amid human rights abuses and democratic declines in all regions of the world, according to an analysis by the group Transparency International. Henry Ridgwell has details from London.]] ((NARRATOR)) The Corruption Perception Index ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, using data from dozens of sources including the World Bank. The 2021 report shows that in 86 per cent of countries, there has been little or no improvement over the past decade. Across the world, 25 countries made significant progress in fighting corruption and rose up the index. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) ((Teams, no courtesy needed) “The only place where we do not see any significant improvement however is in the Middle East and North Africa.” ((NARRATOR)) Several Western democracies have slipped down the rankings – including the United States, Canada, and Australia. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) “This is a wake-up call for many of the countries at the top of the index that they need to take care of their institutions, they need to pay attention to the issue of corruption because I think it is much harder to build back what you lost than to preserve what you have and improve from there. We have also had the spread of disinformation and of fake news, which weakened I think the credibility of one of the most important watchdogs for anti-corruption, which is the media and the press.” ((NARRATOR)) EU member states such as Poland and Hungary have also seen sharp declines. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) “We have seen a clampdown on press freedom, we have seen also a clampdown on academic freedom, even with some universities having to leave the country.” ((NARRATOR)) Somalia, Syria and South Sudan – countries riven by conflict - remain at the bottom of the index. While in Mali, perceived corruption has increased following successive military coups. The Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte also has seen a big increase in corruption alongside a crackdown on freedom of expression. Similarly, perceived corruption in Venezuela has sharply increased under President Nicolás Maduro. But there are some improvements – most notably in the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, and in Armenia. ((Roberto Kukutschka, Transparency International)) “Where the old government was ousted by civil protests a few years ago, and now we have a more reformist government that is really committing to the fight against corruption.” ((NARRATOR)) Transparency International identified a clear pattern in the data: as rights and freedoms erode and democracy declines, authoritarianism takes its place, contributing to even higher levels of corruption. ((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date January 26, 2022 14:04 EST
- Description English Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’ shows backsliding in the United States, Canada and Australia over past decade
- Byline Henry Ridgwell
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America