May 2, 2025
The 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, released in advance of World Press Freedom Day tomorrow, reveals a historic decline in global press freedom, driven primarily by economic fragility. For the first time, the global state of press freedom is officially classified as a “difficult situation.”
The Index’s economic indicator has dropped to an all-time low, as media outlets worldwide face mounting financial instability, ownership concentration, opaque public subsidies and aggressive market domination by tech giants. These pressures threaten editorial independence and quality journalism, leaving newsrooms vulnerable to political and oligarchic influence.
Key findings include:
- 88.9% of countries surveyed report that media outlets struggle financially, with nearly a third experiencing outright closures.
- The United States (57th) has become a leader in the economic media decline, marked by news deserts, funding cuts under President Trump’s second term, and a 14-point drop in its economic indicator.
- Palestine (163rd) faces catastrophic conditions, with nearly 200 journalists killed and extensive newsroom destruction in Gaza.
- Media shutdowns and journalist exile are accelerating in states like Nicaragua, Iran, and Myanmar, where economic difficulties compound the effects of political pressure
- Ownership concentration and state-linked media control are worsening in both autocratic regimes and democratic countries, undermining pluralism.
- Editorial interference is reported in over half of the Index’s 180 countries.
- 42 countries, home to more than half the global population (56.7%), are now in a “very serious” press freedom situation.
- The Asia-Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Americas have seen widespread declines, while Europe remains the best-performing region but is internally divided, with the Eastern Europe – Central Asia (EEAC) region seeing steepest decline worldwide.
Anne Bocandé, RSF Editorial Director said, “Guaranteeing freedom, independence and plurality in today’s media landscape requires stable and transparent financial conditions. Without economic independence, there can be no free press. When news media are financially strained, they are drawn into a race to attract audiences at the expense of quality reporting, and can fall prey to the oligarchs and public authorities who seek to exploit them. When journalists are impoverished, they no longer have the means to resist the enemies of the press — those who champion disinformation and propaganda. The media economy must urgently be restored to a state that is conducive to journalism and ensures the production of reliable information, which is inherently costly. Solutions exist and must be deployed on a large scale. The media’s financial independence is a necessary condition for ensuring free, trustworthy information that serves the public interest.”
We asked Fiona O’Brien, UK Director of Reporters Without Borders, along with members of the World Media Group and our Agency and Brand Advisory Boards, why they believe investing in trusted journalism is so important for the greater good of society, particularly in light of the new report.
Here’s what they had to say:
You can find out more about Reporters Without Borders and read the full 2025 World Press Freedom Index here.