Reporters Without Borders: Press freedom at lowest level in 25 years

Press freedom has fallen to its lowest level in a quarter of a century, the Reporters Without Borders NGO warned on Thursday.

The media rights watchdog cited as examples US President Donald Trump's "systematic" attacks on journalists and Saudi Arabia, which executed a journalist in 2025.

It also warned of a "spiral of violence and repression” affecting several countries in Latin America.

"For the first time in the (RSF) Index's 25-year history, more than half the world's countries now fall into the 'difficult' or 'very serious' categories for press freedom," a statement said.

"The average score for all countries and territories worldwide has never been so low," it said.

According to the organisation, 52.2 percent of countries worldwide are in a “difficult” or “very serious” situation – a far cry from the 13.7 percent recorded in 2002.

At the same time, the share of the world's population living in a country where the press freedom situation is considered "good" has plunged from 20 percent to less than one percent.

Only seven countries in Northern Europe, led by Norway, fall into this category. 

The United States, which had already fallen from a "fairly good" to a "problematic" situation in 2024, the year of Donald Trump's re-election, has dropped a further seven places to 64, it said.

Beyond Trump's attacks on the press – "a systematic policy" – the situation in the United States has also been marked by the detention and subsequent expulsion of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who denounced the arrest of migrants, and by drastic cuts to funding for US international broadcasting, the report said.

The deterioration witnessed over the last quarter-century can be traced back to “increasingly restrictive legislative arsenals, which almost always shelter behind national security policies,” which have “been eroding the right to information since 2001, even in democracies,” the report states.

'Meaningful sanctions' needed

"Vladimir Putin's Russia (172nd) has become a specialist in using laws designed to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism to restrict press freedom," RSF warned. "As of April 2026, the country held 48 journalists behind bars." 

The steepest decline in 2026 was in junta-led Niger in 120th, down 37 places.

That "underscored the wider decline in press freedom in the Sahel region seen in recent years as attacks by armed groups and ruling juntas have suppressed the right to balanced information from diverse sources," RSF said.

Norway held the top spot in the rankings for the 10th year running, said RSF, while Eritrea came last for the third straight year.

The biggest improvement in press freedom had been in Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

While it climbed 36 places in the rankings to 141 in the rankings, RSF warned that the press freedom situation there remained "very serious.”

"Current protection mechanisms are not strong enough," said RSF's editorial director Anne Bocandé. "International law is being undermined and impunity is rife. We need firm guarantees and meaningful sanctions.”

“Attacks on journalists are changing. Journalists are still being killed, journalists are still being imprisoned, but pressures are also economic, political and legal,” said Bocandé.

Latin American – and Argentina

RSF also highlighted Trump’s “ardent supporters” in Latin America – Argentina’s President Javier Milei and his Salvadoran counterpart Nayib Bukele – whose countries have also fallen in the ranking.

Argentina has dropped 11 places to 98th, while El Salvador has fallen eight places to 143rd. 

This decline is partly due to the deterioration of “political and social indicators, reflecting an increase in hostility and government pressure towards the press.”

Regarding Argentina, the watchdog warned of a rise in institutional hostility towards the press and acts of violence against journalists and photographers covering demonstrations.

“Insults, defamation, and threats from Javier Milei’s administration toward journalists and media critical of his regime have become commonplace since he took office. In addition, new policies worsen preexisting trends, such as the high concentration and lack of transparency in media ownership and the increasing precariousness of the journalism profession,” said RSF.

The Milei government banned accredited journalists from entering the Casa Rosada, citing espionage fears.

In the Latin American region, several countries are “caught in a spiral of violence and repression,” RSF warned.

Ecuador recorded the steepest regional decline in the ranking, losing 31 places to 125th.

According to RSF, the South American nation “is facing an unprecedented erosion of journalists’ safety, as violence linked to organised crime spreads and increasingly hostile public officials intensify pressure on the press.”

The same is true of Peru, now down in lowly 144th, where four reporters were killed last year.

Peru has fallen 67 places in the ranking since 2022, “largely due to a series of alarming legislative initiatives, judicial harassment and defamation campaigns targeting independent media,” said the report.

For RSF, it is “concerning” to observe trends in the region resembling more traditional forms of censorship, such as state repression and direct attacks, which prevail in countries such as Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.

Other Latin American countries, by contrast, mostly improved, such as Brazil (52nd), which has gained 58 places since 2022, as well as Colombia (102nd) and Uruguay (48th).

– TIMES/NA/AFP