EFE (via 14ymedio), Paris, 2 May 2025 — Press freedom worldwide is at its worst since Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières, or RSF) began compiling its index in 2002, due to the poor economic situation of the media, threatening their survival and the integrity of their work.
In its annual report on press freedom published this Friday, RSF warns that “for the first time in the history of the ranking, the situation of press freedom is becoming ’difficult’ worldwide.”
The communications media “are caught between guaranteeing their independence and their financial survival,” it adds.
“Half of the countries evaluated have poor conditions for journalism, and only one country out of four has a good situation,” explains Elena G. Viscasillas, spokesperson for RSF, at its headquarters in Paris.
The organization stresses that this situation has further damaged a media that is “already being harmed” by an advertising market controlled by Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft, which in 2024 captured advertising revenue on their “largely unregulated” social platforms of $247.3 billion, 14% more than in 2023.
“Without economic independence, there is no free press. When the media are economically fragile, they are drawn into a race for the audience at the expense of quality”
“Without economic independence, there is no free press. When the media are economically fragile, they are drawn into a race for the audience at the expense of quality and can fall prey to oligarchs or political leaders who instrumentalize them,” says Anne Bocandé, RSF editorial director.
RSF points to the U.S. as the “leader of the economic depression” in the media and ranks it in 57th place on the index (dropping two places compared with 2024 and 12 since 2023), mainly because some areas have become “news deserts” due to the closure of media.
In addition, it points out that the second term of Donald Trump “has aggravated this situation” at a global level, with the cessation of funding for media such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, which has deprived “overnight” more than 400 million people worldwide from having access to reliable information.
The USAID funding freeze has also affected hundreds of media outlets, some of which are now closing, as in Ukraine where 90% of the media depends on foreign donations.
RSF reports that in 46 countries media ownership is highly concentrated in private or State hands.
The report stresses that this media hyperconcentration is “a cause for concern in well-positioned countries” such as Finland (ranked 5), Canada (21) and Australia (29). In France (which dropped four places in one year to 25), eight large companies own about twenty-five media that account for 81% of national newspaper coverage and 95% of national weekly newspapers.
The annual ranking is led for the ninth consecutive year by Norway, the only country with a “good” position in the five indicators that make up the ranking
The annual ranking is led for the ninth consecutive year by Norway, the only country with a “good” position in all five indicators that make up the ranking: media environment, independence, pluralism, legal framework and journalist safety. It is followed by Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Ireland. The top 15 countries are European, with New Zealand in 16th place.
Spain ranks 23rd, improving by seven positions compared to last year.
The last place is again Eritrea (180), and just above it are North Korea, China (drops six places), Syria, Iran and Afghanistan.
In 42 countries, which account for 56.7% of the world’s population, the situation regarding press freedom is “very serious,” warns RSF.
By region, the changes in the list show how the gap between Western Europe and other regions, including Eastern Europe, is widening.
Russia drops 9 places and ranks 171, making it into the bottom ten. “The media are controlled by the State or by oligarchs close to the Kremlin,” states RSF.
In the Americas, 22 out of 26 countries have seen a deterioration in the media’s economic health indicator.
The worst-placed country on the continent is Nicaragua (172), where the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo “has eradicated the independent press.” Cuba occupies position 165, Venezuela 160 and Honduras 142
Argentina continues its drop in the ranking to position 87 (by 47 positions in two years). The worst-placed country on the continent is Nicaragua (172), where the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo “has eradicated the independent press,” says RSF.
Cuba ranks 165, Venezuela 160 and Honduras 142. Mexico is ranked 124, while Colombia is ranked 119. The best-placed Latin American country is Costa Rica (36), which still drops ten positions. Brazil ranks 63, recovering 47 positions in two years after the departure of Jair Bolsonaro from power.
The map in the report, which as usual colors countries according to their press freedom situation, shows how the dark color has spread considerably since last year in a large area starting in East Africa and spreading through Russia and virtually all of the Middle East and Asia.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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