"In 25 years, the average score of all countries surveyed has never been so low", the organization said in its annual World Press Freedom Index, which ranks 180 countries.
The share of the world's population living in countries rated "good" for press freedom collapsed from 20% to under 1%, with only seven Northern European nations qualifying for that designation. Reporters Without Borders attributed the decline to increasingly repressive political regimes, the weaponization of national security and counter-terrorism legislation against media, and the use of SLAPP lawsuits to silence journalists.
Russia, which ranked 172nd, was singled out for its use of anti-terrorism and public security laws against the press.
The United States fell seven places to 64th, with the report citing President Donald Trump's attacks on American media and journalists as having become "systematic", leading among other things to the detention and subsequent deportation of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who had criticized migrant arrests in the U.S.
Poland climbed four places to 27th, landing in the "satisfactory" category alongside Germany (14th), Britain (18th), France (25th) and Spain (29th). Despite a diverse media landscape, the report noted that public awareness of press freedom issues in Poland remains low.
Syria jumped 36 places to 141st following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024. Iran, China, North Korea and Eritrea occupied the bottom four positions.
The index has been published annually by Reporters Without Borders since 2002.
(jh)
Source: PAP