Press freedom around the world is under greater threat than ever before, according to the latest report from Reporters Without Borders (RSF). For the first time in history, its World Press Freedom Index classifies the global state of press freedom as “difficult”.
Europe is home to the most press freedom in the world according to Reporters Without Borders’ annual press freedom ranking — though Southern and Eastern Europe represent some of the continent’s weak spots.
The top 15 countries were all in Europe, with Norway scoring the highest, followed by Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
In the Middle East, dozens of reporters have been killed during Israel’s military assault in Gaza, the organization said.
Palestine has become the world’s most dangerous state for journalists amid Israel’s war on Gaza, with dozens of reporters likely killed specifically due to their work, a media freedom watchdog has said.
The United States fell two places to 57. President Donald Trump’s administration is bringing about a “troubling deterioration” through funding cuts to public media and foreign aid, RSF added.
