USA · 30 April, 2026 · 1 min read
RSF Warns Press Freedom Hits Lowest Level in 25 Years, Trump’s US Drops to 64th
Global press freedom at 25-year low; over half of countries in difficult status. US decline highlighted; Trump attacks on journalists cited.
Ukraine's improvement vs a global decline.
8 of 10 outlets skipped it: armenia is listed at 50th in the RSF index (-Armenia ranked highest among South Caucasus in 2026, down from 34th to 50th)..
10outlets compared
Same story, two versions
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Euromaidan Press
“Up seven in a year, up 50 since 2022. Ukraine climbs RSF press freedom rankings as global score hits 25-year low”Read the original ↗
RSF.ORG
“Ukraine (55th, +7) has shown a slight improvement despite the ongoing war.”Read the original ↗
Illustrates a contrast in framing: one source emphasizes Ukraine’s notable climb amid a global low, while another notes Ukraine’s improvement in absolute terms within the global decline.
RSF: US slips to 64th
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned that press freedom has fallen to its lowest level in a quarter of a century, and the organization’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index places the United States at 64th after a seven-place drop.
“The United States, which had already fallen from a "fairly good" to a "problematic" situation in 2024, the year of Mr. Trump's re-election, dropped a further seven places to 64”
RSF said that “For the first time in the (RSF) Index's 25-year history, more than half the world's countries now fall into the 'difficult' or 'very serious' categories for press freedom,” and it added that “The average score for all countries and territories worldwide has never been so low.”
In the same index, RSF reported that the share of the world’s population living in a country where press freedom is considered “good” has “plunged from 20% to less than 1%,” with only seven countries in northern Europe—“led by Norway”—falling into that top category.
Multiple outlets tied the US decline directly to President Donald Trump, citing RSF’s description of “systematic” attacks on journalists and the press.
CBS News said RSF cited Trump’s “systematic policy” and reported that the US dropped “a further seven places to 64.”
Al Jazeera similarly said the United States “ranks 64th with a ‘problematic’ score, falling seven places since President Donald Trump took office.”
The RSF framing also included specific actions in the US, including “the detention of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who was later deported,” and “the suspension of several notable public media institutions,” according to Al Jazeera’s account of RSF’s report.
Why RSF says US worsened
RSF’s explanation for the US ranking decline centered on what it described as President Donald Trump’s approach to media and journalists, with outlets repeating RSF’s language about “systematic” pressure.
Euronews reported that RSF said the US fell “due to US President Donald Trump's
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