Press freedom worldwide is at lowest level in 25 years, watchdog group warns

Press state has fallen to its lowest level successful a 4th of a century, Reporters Without Borders warned on Thursday.

The media rights watchdog besides known arsenic RSF cited arsenic examples President Trump's "systematic" attacks connected journalists and Saudi Arabia, which executed a writer successful 2025.

"For the archetypal clip successful the (RSF) Index's 25-year history, much than fractional the world's countries present autumn into the 'difficult' oregon 'very serious' categories for property freedom," a connection said.

"The mean people for each countries and territories worldwide has ne'er been truthful low," it said.

At the aforesaid time, the stock of the world's colonisation surviving successful a state wherever the property state concern is considered "good" has plunged from 20 percent to little than 1 percent.

Only 7 countries successful Northern Europe, led by Norway, autumn into this category.

The United States, which had already fallen from a "fairly good" to a "problematic" concern successful 2024, the twelvemonth of Mr. Trump's re-election, has dropped a further 7 places to 64, it said.

Beyond his attacks connected the property — "a systematic policy" — the concern successful the United States has been marked by the detention and consequent expulsion of Salvadoran writer Mario Guevara, who denounced the apprehension of migrants, and by drastic cuts to backing for U.S. planetary broadcasting, the study said.

"Vladimir Putin's Russia (172nd) has go a specializer successful utilizing laws designed to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism to restrict property freedom," RSF warned. "As of April 2026, the state held 48 journalists down bars."

The steepest diminution successful 2026 was successful junta-led Niger (120th, down 37 places), underscoring the wider diminution successful property state successful the Sahel portion seen successful caller years arsenic attacks by equipped groups and ruling juntas person suppressed the close to balanced accusation from divers sources, RSF said.

RSF is the acronym for the group's archetypal French name, Reporters sans frontières. It was founded successful France successful 1985.