By Judith Odenthal
War, authoritarianism, and economic crisis: Various organizations used this year’s World Press Freedom Day to draw attention to the alarming state of press freedom around the world. Reporters Without Borders classifies the situation for journalism in its Press Freedom Index and accompanying report as “difficult”: in half of all countries worldwide, conditions for journalists are considered poor, and the average score of the countries surveyed has reached a new low. A look at the developments and background.
An erosion of press freedom had already been observed in various parts of the world in previous years. Both creeping social developments and sudden upheavals are influencing the situation for journalists globally. Various factors are responsible for the sobering findings of this year’s report.
On the one hand, more and more governments are resorting to authoritarian measures in their dealings with the media. In Afghanistan, for example, the Taliban has been in power since 2021 and is further expanding media censorship. Journalists are threatened, kidnapped, and tortured, causing many to give up their work. In Russia, the situation regarding press freedom has worsened since the attack on Ukraine in 2022, and in the US since Donald Trump was elected president. Further south of the US, in Central and South America, governments have been interfering heavily in journalistic work for some time.
In addition, the economic situation of journalism is particularly precarious worldwide. In 160 of the 180 countries surveyed, media outlets have noticeable to massive problems maintaining financial stability. Anja Osterhaus, executive director of Reporters Without Borders, blames this on growing autocratic tendencies: “Independent journalism is a thorn in the side of autocrats. This also affects economic viability. If the media are financially drained, who will expose misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda?”
Journalism in the economic crisis
The African continent is experiencing the most severe economic difficulties in journalism. In 80 percent of countries in Central and Southern Africa, economic indicators have weakened. Media outlets often receive little support and are heavily dependent on advertising revenue, which can lead to self-censorship. In many countries, such as Sierra Leone and Cameroon, the media is concentrated in the hands of a few powerful players, which jeopardizes the independence of the press.
A rapid deterioration in the economic situation for media and media professionals can also be observed in the US. The Trump administration has cut support for independent media and also scrapped funding for the US Agency for Global Media, which provided resources for media worldwide. For years, large parts of the US have been turning into so-called “news deserts,” where people have little access to high-quality, independent journalism. Donald Trump’s presidency has made this situation even worse. Mistrust and hostility toward journalists in the US have also increased significantly. The anti-press rhetoric Trump used during the election campaign has lowered the threshold of what is considered acceptable toward journalists. Overall, the US now ranks 57th in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Developments in the country point to a shift toward authoritarianism and influence the average global rating for press freedom.
Argentina also recorded a significant decline in the ranking on the American continent, falling 21 places to 87th. President Milei closed the state news agency there in 2024 and dismantled public broadcasting. He is particularly hostile toward the press on social media. In addition, journalism is in a difficult economic situation here as well. Neighboring Brazil is one of the few countries that has been able to improve its economic indicator.
Map: NordNordWest/ Based on data from Reporters Without Borders, license: Creative Commons by-sa-3.0 de
Norway remains the leader in press freedom
Journalism on the European continent is also in a state of economic crisis. Reporters Without Borders speaks of a “slow economic suffocation of the independent press.” The reduction in funding from the US is also partly responsible for this. In Ukraine in particular, where the state of war makes free and independent reporting extremely difficult, a large part of the media was kept alive by funds from the US.
Nevertheless, only European countries occupy the top 15 places in the press freedom ranking. As last year, Norway tops the list. The country enjoys a stable economic and legal environment for media professionals. In addition, journalists face little pressure from politicians, who rarely denounce critical reporting as “fake news.” However, threats against journalists are also widespread there. Poland has risen particularly sharply, climbing 16 places to 31st in the press freedom rankings. The improvement in conditions for journalists was triggered by the change of government in 2023, when Donald Tusk’s coalition replaced the PiS party, which had previously severely curtailed media freedom in the country.
Germany just missed out on a place in the top ten of the press freedom rankings, slipping to 11th place. This is also mainly due to difficult economic conditions, which are limiting the diversity of the media landscape. In addition, the number of attacks and hostility towards media professionals has risen again. This was particularly the case during investigations into the far-right milieu or in the context of the AfD.
Little movement at the top and bottom of the ranking
There has been little movement at the top and bottom of the Reporters Without Borders ranking. The top spots are shared by the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands. At the bottom of the list are countries such as Syria and Afghanistan, where the political situation makes journalistic work extremely dangerous, as well as North Korea, which is notorious for its isolation and censorship. China and Russia have slipped significantly further down the rankings. China now ranks 178th out of 180. Numerous journalists in the country are in prison, more than in any other country surveyed. In Russia, the state of press freedom, which was already under attack, has deteriorated continuously since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The main source of information for people there is state-controlled television. The Palestinian territories have also fallen further in the ranking. According to Reporters Without Borders, they are currently the “most dangerous place in the world” for journalists. Free and independent reporting is virtually impossible, and more than 200 media workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since 2023.
This article, “Press freedom: Economy and authoritarian tendencies cause problems for the media“, was originally published by the European Journalism Observatory on 19 May 2025.