Unprecedented Decline in Press Freedom
Press freedom worldwide has suffered its sharpest decline in 50 years, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), with 54% of countries regressing in at least one key democratic indicator between 2019 and 2024. The Stockholm-based think tank reported that 43 countries across all continents experienced deterioration in press freedoms, including 15 in Africa and 15 in Europe. IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora described this as "the most acute deterioration in a key indicator of democratic health" ever recorded in the organization's history, attributing it to a "toxic brew" of government repression, disinformation, and economic fragility.
Worst-Performing Nations and Regional Trends
Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, and Myanmar, already among the world's most repressive environments for journalists recorded the steepest declines. In Afghanistan, Taliban authorities systematically eliminated independent media, while Myanmar's junta targeted journalists with raids and imprisonment. South Korea unexpectedly ranked fourth-worst globally due to a spike in defamation cases against journalists and government raids on media residences. Europe, typically a press freedom stronghold, saw significant backsliding in Italy (where intelligence agencies spied on journalists) and Slovakia (where the public broadcaster was shut down in 2024).
The Economic Strangulation of Media
The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2025 World Press Freedom Index identified economic pressure as a critical threat, with the economic indicator hitting its lowest point in history. Nearly 90% of countries (160 of 180) faced severe media financial instability, leading to widespread closures of local outlets. The United States (57th globally, down 2 spots) saw news deserts expand as local journalism collapsed, with 75% of surveyed journalists in key states reporting that media outlets struggled for viability. President Trump's defunding of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) deprived 400 million people worldwide of reliable information.
Authoritarian Playbooks and Global Backsliding
IDEA's report noted that democratic backsliding occurred in 94 countries over five years, with Credible Elections and Effective Parliament indicators reaching 30-year lows. The pandemic legacy enabled governments to justify repression under the guise of combating disinformation. In Palestine (163rd in RSF's index), Israel's destruction of newsrooms and killing of nearly 200 journalists, including 43 murdered while working annihilated press freedom in Gaza. Similar patterns emerged in Hong Kong (140th), which entered the "very serious" category for the first time, mirroring China's propaganda model.
U.S. Role and Trump's Impact
Although IDEA's data covered only through 2024, Casas-Zamora warned that Trump's return to power in 2025 accelerated global democratic erosion. The U.S. was added to IDEA's "backsliding democracies" list in 2021 and has since intensified executive overreach, with Trump disregarding court orders, attacking journalists, and cutting democracy aid. This emboldened autocrats like Hungary's Viktor Orbán and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to intensify repression. The Carnegie Endowment noted that Trump's executive aggrandizement, though less severe than in Hungary or India progressed with unprecedented speed, targeting intra-executive dominance, judicial independence, and civil society simultaneously.
The Path Forward
IDEA urged democracies to protect electoral integrity and reform governance to ensure "fairness, inclusion, and shared prosperity". RSF emphasized that economic independence is prerequisite for press freedom, advocating transparent funding models and resistance to oligarchic control. Casas-Zamora highlighted that improving diaspora voting rights could strengthen democratic resilience, noting that 304 million people living abroad represent untapped potential for democratic participation. Despite the grim findings, Botswana, South Africa, Jordan, and Chile demonstrated that progress remains possible through credible elections and journalist protection laws.