The 2025 World Press Freedom Landscape: A Dismal Picture
Increasing Threat to US Press Freedom, as Perceived by Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
It's a grim reality as the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reveals the state of global press freedom has plunged to an all-time low in half the world's countries, with a satisfactory environment found in barely one in four. This worsening scenario is highlighted in RSF's annual review of media freedom across the globe.
In a statement, RSF's editorial director, Anne Bocande, emphasized that economic pressures are mounting against independent journalism, as many outlets struggle to stay afloat due to financial difficulties. Regardless, online advertising spending is seeing an upward trend—reaching an estimated $247.3 billion in 2024—but a significant portion of it is snatched up by tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Without proper funding, journalists can't fight the enemies of the press, according to Bocande.
Among the countries feeling the brunt of this degradation are the United States and Argentina. Due to ongoing political hostility during Trump's second term, the U.S. has experienced an "alarming deterioration in press freedom, indicative of an authoritarian shift in government." After a drop of 13 places in 2024, the U.S. slips another two to 57th place on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index. Argentina, under right-wing Trump ally Javier Milei, plummets 21 places to 87th.
The plight of Palestinian journalists trying to report on Israel's devastating bombardment of Gaza continues, with the Israeli army destroying newsrooms, killing nearly 200 journalists, and imposing a decades-long blockade on the region. Israel dropped 11 places to 112th in the index in 2025, a stark testimony to its repression of media.
Economic pressures, political hostility, security concerns, and socio-cultural challenges are interrelated crises affecting media independence. Countries with weaker legal protections and booming state-backed disinformation campaigns have experienced significant press freedom erosion. RSF warns that this critical moment threatens the very existence of an independent and free press.
[1] https://rsf.org/en/news/all-time-low-conditions-journalism-worlds-countries[2] https://rsf.org/en/news/french-journalists-rally-solidarity-colleagues-killed-gaza-0[3] https://rsf.org/en/us-freedom-drops-13-places-world-press-freedom-index-2025[4] https://rsf.org/en/press-release-organization-americas-journalists-deplores-the-disastrous-effects-of-us-disinformation[5] https://rsf.org/en/data-2025-world-press-freedom-index[6] https://rsf.org/en/news/more-140-journalists-killed-2021-record-high-deadliest-year-decade-democratic-space[7] https://rsf.org/en/news/75-journalists-detained-deployed-iran-central-asia-asia[8] https://rsf.org/en/news/press-freedom-threatened-iraq-kurdistan[9] https://rsf.org/en/news/respected-afghan-journalist-attacked-deadliest-year-decade[10] https://rsf.org/en/news/dw-journalist-germany-tried-murder-al-awlaki
- The United States, in the midst of Trump's second term, experienced an alarming deterioration in press freedom, indicative of an authoritarian shift in government, as revealed by the 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
- Anne Bocande, the editorial director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), emphasized that economic pressures are mounting against independent journalism, with many outlets struggling to stay afloat.
- Israel dropped 11 places to 112th in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, a stark testimony to its repression of media, as Palestinian journalists trying to report on Israel's actions in Gaza continue to face challenges.
- Argentina, under the leadership of right-wing Trump ally Javier Milei, plummeted 21 places to 87th in the index, reflecting a decline in press freedom.
- In Africa, economic pressures, political hostility, security concerns, and socio-cultural challenges have affected media independence, causing significant erosion of press freedom.
- France, in solidarity with their colleagues killed in Gaza, has rallied for stronger protections for journalists working in conflict zones.
- The international community, including nations in Europe and Asia, has expressed concern over the threats to media freedom, with incidents of journalist killings, detentions, and attacks on democratic space on the rise.
