Press freedom worldwide falls to its lowest level in 25 years | Freedom of the Press News
Global Press Freedom Hits Lowest Level in 25 Years, Report Says
Freedom of the press has reached its lowest point in a quarter-century, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an organization based in Paris dedicated to advocating for press freedom worldwide.
RSF publishes an annual World Press Freedom Index assessing the conditions for journalists and media outlets across 180 countries. This index employs a five-point scale to categorize each nation’s level of press freedom, ranging from “very serious” to “good.”
For the first time since RSF commenced the index in 2002, more than half of the assessed countries fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories, indicating a rising trend of criminalization against journalism globally.
Only seven countries, primarily in the Nordic region, currently enjoy “good” press freedom, with Norway, the Netherlands, and Estonia topping the list. France ranks 25th with a “satisfactory” score, while the United States is positioned at 64th, classified as “problematic” and falling seven places since President Donald Trump’s administration began.
The organization attributed part of this decline to Trump’s approach toward the media, describing it as a systematic attack on journalists. RSF highlighted the case of Mario Guevara, a Salvadoran journalist who was detained and subsequently deported while documenting protests against immigration raids, illustrating the climate for journalists in the U.S.
In Latin America, significant declines were noted in the rankings of Argentina and El Salvador. Argentina fell to 98th place, a drop of 11 spots, while El Salvador plummeted 105 places since 2014 amid its crackdown on criminal gangs.
RSF emphasized that Eastern Europe and the Middle East remain the most perilous regions for journalists, with Russia and Iran ranking at 172nd and 177th, respectively, placing them among the bottom ten countries for press freedom.
The organization pointed to conflicts and restricted access to information as key factors contributing to this downward trend. RSF referenced Israeli military actions against journalists in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, ranking Israel 116th. Reports indicate that over 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October, with at least 70 deaths occurring while they were performing their journalistic duties.
Overall, RSF’s findings indicate that more than 60 percent of countries, or 110 out of 180, have enacted laws that criminalize media work in various forms. India, Egypt, Georgia, Turkey, and Hong Kong were cited as examples of countries implementing significant state-led crackdowns on journalism.
Anne Bocande, RSF’s Editorial Director, noted that the attacks on the right to information have become increasingly diverse and sophisticated. She identified authoritarian regimes, complicit political powers, predatory economic interests, and poorly regulated online platforms as the principal drivers of the global decline in press freedom.
Bocande urged democratic governments and citizens to take stronger actions to combat the criminalization of journalists, recommending “firm guarantees and meaningful sanctions.” She stressed that existing protection measures are inadequate, asserting that “inaction is a form of endorsement” of the ongoing erosion of press freedom.
