Snapshot 5:Thu, Sep 11, 2025 1:07:38 PM GMT last edited by Vandita

Report: Global Press Freedom Hits 50-Year Low

Report: Global Press Freedom Hits 50-Year Low as Democracy Declines

Published SEP 11 2025

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Above: Journalists stage a demonstration for their colleagues killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza on Jan. 8, 2025. Image credit: Aeed Jaras/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

PressChallenges to press freedom challenges stem from legitimate national security concerns and athe new digital reality. Governments face the difficult task of balancing media freedoms with protecting citizens from false information that can incite violence or undermine social cohesion. Balanced use of regulatory measures and media oversight representrepresents a necessary toolstool for maintaining order in an era of information warfare and foreign interference in domestic affairs.

Ku Leuven Atlantic

The alarming decline in press freedom represents a direct assault on democracy itself, as authoritarian forces worldwide exploit disinformation as a pretext to silence independent journalism. Governments are systematically dismantling the free press, leaving journalists vulnerable to state control. The toxic combination of pandemic-era restrictions and rising authoritarianism has created an unprecedented global crisis, threatening the very survival of journalism itself.

The Guardian RSF

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 50% chance that over 30 journalists in the U.S. will face criminal charges related to their work before 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Editor's Note

This story currently has limited coverage. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our reporting as additional information becomes available.