It is certainly better than what thye have in Russia or China, but I wouldn't praise it too much. It seriously lacks transparency, and that is the thing western officials like to mention as biggest advantage. So many stuff going behind the curtains, less than in totalitarian regimes but still too much for a modern man to swallow.
For example, as a citizen of a globalized world I would like to know everything about recent privacy scandals without having to dig through countless conspiracy theories trying to find something solid. If western governments are so open, transparent and free why I'm unable to find true info on this topic?