Vetted by NeuralPress's Multi-Agent Verifier for strict factual validity and event relevance. Our compliance engine cross-checks and filters search results to ensure zero false correlations or misleading content.
Global Press Freedom Trends
Comparison of press freedom status categories globally.
Primary Sources
US falls to 'historic low' in press freedom tracker: RSF
Reporters Without Borders warns of ‘press freedom crisis’ in US amid media consolidation, Trump policies.The United States has fallen to a “historic low” in the Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders, annual press freedom tracker, continuing a decade-long decline, the organisation has said.The report on Thursday recorded a global drop in press freedom indicators in 2025, with, for the first time, more than half of the world’s countries labelled as “difficult” or “very serious”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Has the US Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act – and how?list 2 of 3US judge sides with New York Times against Pentagon journalism policieslist 3 of 3$25bn or $1 trillion: How much has Iran war really cost the US?end of listWhile the US, during the first year of US President Donald Trump’s second term, remained in the “problematic” category, it dropped seven spaces from 57th in the world to 64th. Norway led the list, with Eritrea ranked lowest among 180 countries.In a statement, Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF’s North America office, said the US was experiencing a “press freedom crisis”.“Trump and his administration have carried out a coordinated war on press freedom since the day he took office, and we will live with the consequences for years to come,” he said in a statement.“Our message is clear: Protect legal rights, ensure accountability for attacks on media professionals, and support independent media to restore American press freedom.”The report pointed to both Trump administration policies and the wider consolidation of media companies in the US, which critics say opens the door to stifling certain points of view.That has included Skydance Media’s acquisition of Paramount Global, which includes CBS News. Skydance is owned by David Ellison, whose father, Larry Ellison, is a confidant of Trump’s.Paramount Skydance is also currently acquiring Warner Bros, which owns CNN.All told, just six companies control most US media: Comcast, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Skydance, Sony, and Amazon.While Trump has long had an adversarial relationship with journalists, press freedom observers say the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has accelerated pressure on media figures and journalists during the president’s second term.In March, FCC chair Brendan Carr said he would revoke the licences of broadcasters that are “running hoaxes and news distortions”, and that do not “o...
Global Press Freedom Hits 25-Year Low As U.S. Falls To 64th
Global press freedom reached lowest level in 25 years.United States fell to 64th in 2026 index.Over half countries classified difficult or very serious.Norway ranked first for tenth consecutive year.Global press freedom has fallen to its lowest point in 25 years. More than half of all countries now rank as "difficult" or "very serious" environments for journalism. No previous edition of the index has crossed that threshold."Global press freedom has fallen to its lowest point in 25 years, with more than half of all countries now classified as 'difficult' or 'very serious' environments for journalism," according to Reporters Without Borders in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index."The United States dropped seven places to 64th worldwide, reflecting what RSF described as systematic pressure on journalists and placing it outside the top tier of press freedom nations," the report found.Those findings come from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Paris-based press freedom organization that publishes its annual World Press Freedom Index each May. The 2026 edition, released in late April, assessed 180 countries and territories across indicators covering political context, legal framework, economic conditions, sociocultural environment, and physical safety for journalists.The United States Is No Longer a Safe HarborFor American readers, the index carries a pointed message. The United States dropped seven places in 2026 to rank 64th worldwide, a continued slide that RSF attributed to what it described as systematic pressure on journalists. The decline places the U.S. well outside the top tier of press freedom nations and below several countries in Latin America and Eastern Europe.Norway held the top position for the tenth consecutive year, joined by six other Northern European nations in the index's "good" category. That cluster now represents the only countries on earth where press freedom is formally classified as functioning well. Every other nation falls into "satisfactory," "problematic," "difficult," or "very serious" territory, with the latter two categories now accounting for more than half the global total for the first time since RSF began tracking the data.The picture in traditionally open democracies has grown notably worse. India dropped six places from 2025 to reach 157th, a historic low, as national security laws were increasingly deployed against journalists and news organizations. Singapore held at 123rd while recording a lower overall score than the...
US Falls to Lowest-Ever Rank on Press Freedom Index as Trump Pours ...
The Trump administration's active disdain for press freedom has pushed the US to its lowest-ever rank on Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, which ranks countries based on numerous indicators including legal protections for journalists, reporter safety, and overall political hostility toward the press.
Press Freedom Index: Press freedom at a record low, Norway number one
- Press freedom is at its lowest level in 25 years. The most worrying thing is that laws are now being used as weapons. Journalism is being criminalised to an ever-greater extent - not only in dictatorships, but also in democracies, says Erik Larsson, spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders Sweden.
