What is the state of global press freedom in 2025?

Around the world, journalists are being silenced, jailed, and disappeared – simply for doing their jobs. From Guatemala to the USA, Russia to Pakistan, governments are increasingly resorting to authoritarian practices, weaponizing vague laws, judicial systems, and brute force to suppress press freedom.

These attacks on the press are not isolated incidents; they are often at the core of deliberate strategies to dismantle the very foundations of human rights. The erosion of press freedom is a warning sign – one that signals a broader slide toward authoritarianism.

On World Press Freedom Day, we shed light on the state of press freedom around the world, spotlight some worrying trends and explain some of the recent developments that are putting journalists in jeopardy.

Why is press freedom important?

Press freedom is instrumental to the fulfilment of the human right to freedom of expression, in particular the right to seek, impart and receive information and ideas of all kinds. A free press plays a vital role in holding governments and other powerful actors to account. In order to do this, the press must be able to report freely and independently without being threatened, intimidated or punished.

A free press reporting on issues of public interest that shape our lives is a key building block of any rights-respecting society. Yet in many countries, journalists face repression and attacks.

Governments must promote and protect free and independent media and maximize transparency and access to information – not restrict it.

How is press freedom currently being attacked in the USA?

President Trump has taken various steps to unduly restrict the right to freedom of expression and limit press freedom, including hand-picking which outlets can cover the White House and demonizing reporters. Before becoming president, he sued media outlets CBS News and the Des Moines Register for publishing something he didn’t agree with. He’s barred the Associated Press from covering events at the White House because he disagreed with its editorial decision to use “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America”. 

He’s called on outlets to fire specific reporters for coverage that doesn’t paint him in a favourable light, and has quipped that he’d jail reporters as retribution for unfavorable coverage. In addition to dismantling Voice of America (VOA), along with Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Marti covering Cuba, and stations broadcasting into the Middle East, he supports slashing funding for other publicly-funded broadcasters like NPR and PBS. Meanwhile, the slashing of USAID has impacted relief support for journalists at risk.

What’s more, while President Trump is attacking press freedom and journalistic integrity, social media companies, including Meta and Elon Musk’s X have dismantled fact-checking programs on their platforms, contributing to the spread of disinformation. This is especially concerning when such a high percentage of Americans get their news from social media platforms. 

Why is Afghanistan ranked among the worst countries for media freedom?

The Taliban relentlessly continues to suppress freedom of expression by banning media outlets from operating, restricting their programming, and unlawfully detaining and torturing journalists for reports critical of their draconian polices and rules. For instance, in November 2024, UNAMA reported the use of arbitrary arrest, torture and other ill-treatment, and threats and intimidation against 336 journalists and media workers between August 2021 and September 2024. Afghanistan is ranked among the worst countries for media freedom under the Taliban’s de facto rule.

Since their return in 2021, the Taliban have banned and suspended many media outlets, including TV and Radio stations, in the country for being critical on their policies. They have also imposed restrictions on journalists and analysts working for and collaborating with certain media outlets operating outside the country.

As part of their continued attack on freedom of media and expression, the Taliban have reportedly introduced restrictions on live political talk shows, including limitations on who could participate in interviews and what they could say. The Taliban continues to enforce a ban on filming and broadcasting “living things”, as it is against their vice and virtue law in several provinces.

What is the state of press freedom in Eastern Europe and Central Asia?

In parts of Eastern Europe and in Central Asia, media freedom continues to decline amid growing censorship and repression of independent voices. Governments increasingly use unlawful surveillance and misuse legislation to restrict free expression and criminalise dissent. 

In Belarus, media freedom is virtually non-existent: independent and opposition media have been forced into exile, and over 40 journalists remain imprisoned. In Russia, independent outlets are labelled “undesirable”, leading to the criminalization of their work, effectively banning their operations and pushing them abroad. Individual journalists are also targeted as “foreign agents", which means their funding is slashed, reputations are tarnished and they face intimidation and prosecution.

Georgia’s media finds itself on the frontline of the government’s assault on peaceful protest. Police have specifically targeted journalists to prevent them from covering protests, including with unlawful force. Prominent journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who joined protesters, is among those currently detained as a criminal suspect. Across the whole region, access to reliable information is shrinking, while disinformation increasingly dominates the public space.

What is it like to be a journalist in Central America?

Guatemalan authorities are weaponizing criminal law to crush press freedom and silence those who expose corruption and abuse. Journalists, along with human rights defenders and Indigenous leaders, are being targeted with sham trials, arbitrary detention, smear campaigns, and threats – including sexist and racist attacks – by a justice system acting as an enforcer of political repression.

Journalist Jose Rubén Zamora has spent over 1000 days unjustly persecuted for reporting on government corruption. After spending 800 days in jail between July 2022 and October 2024, he was sent back to prison in March 2025. 

He is among hundreds facing criminalization simply for exercising their right to free expression. These attacks violate human rights in Guatemala and threaten the very foundations of a free and open society. Our “No Fear, No Gag” campaign is a call to stand with those who refuse to be silenced.

Why is Pakistan forcibly disappearing journalists?

Pakistan’s record on human rights has long been tainted by its use of enforced disappearances to silence journalists and suppress activists and human rights defenders who dare to speak up and criticize the government.

In 2024, at least seven journalists were killed in targeted attacks in Pakistan. Provinces like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which both have large ethnic-minority populations, are particularly perilous, with Balochistan described as “a graveyard for journalists” by Amnesty International.

At least 10,078 enforced disappearances, including journalists, have been recorded in Pakistan since 2011, though human rights groups believe the actual figure to be much higher. While the Pakistan Penal Code addresses kidnapping and abduction, it doesn’t specifically criminalize enforced disappearances as a separate offense, and the judiciary is often unable to hold security agencies accountable, leading to a lack of accountability from the state. Families of the disappeared are regularly harassed, and the intimidation is worse for those who have launched public protests and openly campaigned to seek justice for their loved ones. Laws such as the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and its amendment in 2025 have been also used to arrest journalists critical of the state.

How are authorities in East and Southern Africa cracking down on journalists?

Authorities across East and Southern Africa continued to impose severe restrictions on media freedom and the right to freedom of expression, including by putting repressive new laws in place.

In Madagascar, the Cybercriminality Code and the Communication Code have forced journalists to self-censor due to fear of reprisals. Zimbabwe has enacted the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act (Patriot Act) which threatens media freedom as it criminalizes anything deemed by the authorities as “wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe”.

Those who dare to report on corruption allegations and human rights violations also face widespread intimidation, harassment and detention. In Mozambique, where journalists routinely face death threats, violence and even killings, we have documented numerous incidents where authorities targeted journalists, including a press conference that was teargassed.

With the global picture so bleak, how is Amnesty International protecting journalists?

We actively campaign on cases of journalists who have been unjustly imprisoned, as well as continuing to pressure governments to uphold the right to freedom of expression.

We regularly share stories across the world of journalists who have been threatened or intimated. We support families whose loved ones have been forcibly disappeared or imprisoned. And we call on our supporters to take action or sign our petitions, calling for the release of journalists around the world.

We will continue to call for the abolition of all laws criminalizing people who speak out or protest peacefully.