Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) reported in its annual ranking report on Friday, citing a decline in press freedoms under US President Donald Trump.
More than half of the nation’s population lives in “very severe” nations, according to the non-profit organization’s statement released away of International Press Freedom Day.
RSF reported that its main score has dropped to its lowest level in the 23 years it has been tracking media freedom.
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The ratings are compiled by experts taking into account the number of violent incidents involving journalists in each nation as well as other pertinent data. They divide up the state of a nation or country into five categories: politics, rules, economy, socio-culture, and protection.
What did RSF have to say about American media freedom?
RSF noted that since Trump took office in January, the position in the US has gotten worse.
Donald Trump’s second term as president has caused an alarming decline in press freedom, which is ostensibly suggestive of an autocratic change in state, according to RSF.
His presidency “has harmed organizations, undermined support for independent media, and marginalized writers,” he said.
The media watchdog cited the administration’s decision to cut funding for state-funded broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ( RFE/RL), as well as US foreign aid for media outlets overseas.
Trump made an executive order on Friday to reduce revenue for NPR and PBS, calling them biased. He added that The New York Times might be brought in for legal actions.
From 2024 to 2024, the US dropped two sites to the 57th place in West Africa, on Sierra Leone. According to the report, large portions of the US were becoming “news plains.”
RSF Editorial Director Anne Bocande stated in a statement that” when editors are impoverished, they no longer have the means to fight the enemies of the media, those who support disinformation and propaganda.”
Online advertising increased to$ 247.3 billion ( roughly € 218 billion ) in 2024, but a sizable portion of it went to tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon rather than news organizations, according to RSF.
Germany’s rating is below the major 10;
According to the report, Europe was the place where editors had the most freedom, with China, North Korea, and Eritrea as the middle three out of 180 nations.
More than half of the world’s population currently lives in nations where the press freedom position is considered to be very severe, according to RSF Managing Director Anja Osterhaus. Demagogues have a thorn in their area because of independent journalism.
For the seventh consecutive year, Norway, Estonia, and the Netherlands, placed first overall.
Only seven nations, all of which are located in Europe, gave the circumstance a rating of “good.”
Germany, which was in 10th place next year, dropped to 11th place. RSF attributed the decline to an “increasingly unfriendly working environment for internet experts in Germany, especially as a result of problems from the far right.”
According to the review, German reporters had trouble reporting on the Middle East conflict.
The report also made a point about Palestinian editors ‘ reporting on Israeli strikes on Gaza.
The Israeli military has imposed a total embargo on the strip for more than 18 months, according to the statement.” In Gaza, the Israeli military has destroyed newsrooms, killed almost 200 journalists, and imposed a complete blockade on the band.
Israel” continues to control its own news media,” according to the report, which dropped 11 places to the 112th location.
