Paris/Freedom of the press worldwide lives its worst time since reporters without borders (RSF) began developing its index in 2002 due to the bad economic situation of the media, which endangers its survival and threatens the integrity of their work.
In its annual press freedom report published Friday, RSF warns that “for the first time in the history of the ranking“,” The situation of press freedom becomes ‘difficult’ worldwide. ”
The media “are trapped between the guarantee of their independence and their financial survival,” he adds.
“Half of the evaluated countries have poor conditions for the exercise of journalism and only one country in four has a good situation,” Efe Elena G. Viscasillas, spokesman for RSF at its Paris headquarters.
The organization emphasizes that this situation has even more damaged a situation of the media “already maltrecha” by an advertising market controlled by Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft, which in 2024 captured advertising income on their social platforms “mostly not regulated” for 247.3 billion dollars, 14% more than in 2023.
“Without economic independence, there is no free press. When the media are economically fragile, they are dragged to the career for the audience at the expense of quality”
“Without economic independence, there is no free press. When the media are economically fragile, they are dragged into the career by the audience at the expense of quality and can become a oligarch prey or political leaders that instrumentalize them,” says Anne Bocandé, editorial director of RSF
RSF points to the US as the country “leader of economic depression” in the media and places it in the 57th position of the index (it loses two with respect to 2024 and 12 since 2023), first of all because some areas have become “informative deserts” by the closure of media.
In addition, he points out that Donald Trump’s second mandate “has aggravated this situation” globally, with the cessation of media financing such as Voice of America or Radio Free Europe, which has deprived “more than 400 million people from all over the world of access to reliable information.
The freezing of USAID funds has also affected hundreds of media, some of which are already closing, as in Ukraine, where 90% of the media depends on foreign donations.
RSF denounces that in 46 countries the property of the media is very concentrated in private or state hands.
He emphasizes that this hyperconcentration of the media is “a reason for concern in well positioned countries”, such as Finland (5), Canada (21) or Australia (29). In France (25, four positions less in one year), eight great fortunes have about twenty headwaters that total 81% of the dissemination of national newspapers and 95% of that of national weekly.
The annual classification is headed for the ninth consecutive year by Norway, the only country with a “good” situation in the five indicators that make up the classification
The annual classification is headed for the ninth consecutive year by Norway, the only country with a “good” situation in the five indicators that make up the classification. They are followed by Estonia, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Ireland. The first fifteen countries are European, and in 16 position appears New Zealand.
Spain appears in the 23rd position, which improves seven positions compared to last year.
The last position is again for Eritrea (180) and just above are North Korea, China (falls six positions), Syria, Iran and Afghanistan.
In 42 countries, which add up to 56.7% of the world’s population, the situation of press freedom is “very serious,” RSF warns.
By regions, the changes in the list show how the gap between Western Europe and the rest of the areas, including Eastern Europe.
Russia loses 9 positions and stands in 171, which enters the ten worst. “The media are controlled by the State or by oligarchs near the Kremlin,” says RSF.
In America, 22 of the 26 countries have seen a deterioration of the media economic health indicator.
The worst country on the continent is Nicaragua (172), where the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo “has eradicated the independent press.” Cuba occupies 165, Venezuela on 160 and Honduras on 142
Argentina continues its fall in the qualification until the 87th position (47 positions falls in two years). The worst country on the continent is Nicaragua (172), where the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo “has eradicated the independent press,” reports reporters.
Cuba occupies the 165, Venezuela on 160 and Honduras on 142. Mexico appears in 124th place, while Colombia appears in 119. The best Latin American country is Costa Rica (36), which still falls ten positions. Brazil appears in 63, which recovers 47 positions in two years after the departure of the power of Jair Bolsonaro.
The map of the report, which as usual coloring countries based on the situation of their freedom of the press, shows how dark color has extended considerably since last year in a wide area that begins in eastern Africa and extends by Russia and practically all of the Middle East and Asia.
