Global Press Freedom Indicator Slips

This article is published in collaboration with Statista

by Katharina Buchholz

This year's World Press Freedom Index highlights the economic situation of journalists and media organizations being a major risk to press freedom, as "today’s news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival".

Due to the economic indicator of the index decreasing by more than two points in one year and the other subindices measuring the security, social, political and legal situation of the press also losing at least some ground since 2024, the overall index entered into "difficult" territory for the first time in 2025.

"Without economic independence, there can be no free press. When news media are financially strained, they are drawn into a race to attract audiences", Anne Bocandé, RSF's Editorial Director said. In 160 out of the 180 countries included in the report, media outlets reported achieving financial stability only “with difficulty” or “not at all.” In a third of all countries, significant news outlets shutting down were recorded, extending to developing and developed countries.

In the U.S., the indicator dropped much more than the global average, by 5.4 points, and news deserts where local media coverage lacks were becoming the norm, the report states. Additionally, Trump administraton cuts to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, affecting the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty newsrooms, added to economic difficulty and deprived over 400 million citizens worldwide of access to reliable information. USAID cuts also affected journalists all over the world who had received funding, including in Ukraine.

The security, social and legal situation of journalists in a worldwide average continues to be rated as "not difficult", if only slightly so at ratings between 58 and 67 points (where anything under 55 signals a difficult situation). The political situation of global media has been rated as "difficult" since last year, while the economic situation of the press has been in difficult territory for longer. However, in 2025, it reached a new low of just 44.1 points.

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