The targeting of journalists covering the Occupy Wall Street movement has caused the United States to fall significantly in a recent leading survey of press freedom.

Reporters Without Borders' latest Press Freedom Index was released Wednesday, and the list reflects some of the political turbulence that took place in the world in 2011, as well as the impact that those events had on journalists across the globe. Reporters became targets all through the year, both in the Arab world and here on Wall Street.

The U.S. tumbled almost as far as Bahrain after repeated crackdowns on journalists covering Occupy movements. Reporters Without Borders noted the rating drop in the report, saying that "the United States (47th) also owed its fall of 27 places to the many arrests of journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests."

The violent arrests of journalists by police was well documented all year long in 2011. Reporters were beaten, arrested and prevented from covering police action against occupy protesters. The New York Police Department was forced to meet with journalists and remind its officers not to mistreat them, not that this resulted in any noteworthy changes during occupy protests.