Freedom in the World: 1998-1999

Freedom in the World is an institutional effort by Freedom House to monitor the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in 191 nations and 50 related territories. These year-end reviews of freedom began in 1955, when they were called the Balance Sheet of Freedom and, still later, the Annual Survey of the Progress of Freedom. This program was expanded in the early 1970s, and has been issued in a more developed context as a yearbook since 1978.Since 1989, Freedom in the World project has been a year-long effort produced by regional experts, consultants, and democracy specialists. The survey derives its information from a wide range of sources. Most valued of these are the many human rights activists, journalists, editors, and political figures who keep the world informed of the human rights situation in their countries.Throughout the year, Freedom House personnel regularly conduct fact-finding missions to gain more in-depth knowledge of the vast political transformations affecting our world. They meet a cross-section of political parties and associations, human rights monitors, religious figures, representatives of both the private sector and trade union movement, academics and journalists. During the past year, Freedom House staff traveled to numerous countries throughout most of the world's geographical and political regions. The project team also consults a vast array of published source materials, ranging from the reports of other human rights organizations to regional newspapers and magazines.