Egypt Daily News – Reporters Without Borders expressed concern on Friday over the deterioration of press freedom in the United States, stating in its annual ranking that the decline began “since Donald Trump took office,” attributing it to his “daily attacks” on the media.
According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, the return of Donald Trump to power has led to a “worrying decline in press freedom in the United States,” which dropped two places to rank 57th out of 180 countries—behind Sierra Leone.
Anne Bocandé, editorial director of the organization, noted that “the situation was never exemplary to begin with,” as the U.S. had already fallen ten spots in 2024. However, things worsened after Trump’s inauguration due to his “daily attacks” on journalists and media outlets.
The NGO described a “difficult” global climate for journalism and stated that Trump’s administration “politicized institutions, cut support for independent media, and sidelined journalists,” who now face “growing hostility” and eroding public trust in the media.
The report also criticized Trump for dismantling U.S. public media abroad, particularly Voice of America, depriving “over 400 million people” of access to reliable information. It added that the freezing of international aid funds through USAID had plunged hundreds of media outlets into critical financial instability, forcing some—especially in Ukraine—to shut down.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) echoed these concerns earlier this week, saying that during the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, “press freedom is no longer a guaranteed right in the United States.”
Globally, Norway retained the top spot for the ninth consecutive year, while Eritrea remained at the bottom of the list, below North Korea and China.
The most significant decline was recorded in Guinea, which fell 25 places to rank 103rd due to “severe restrictions” on press freedom, followed by Argentina, which dropped 21 places to 87th.
The situation in Palestine was described as “catastrophic,” ranking 163rd after dropping six places, with Reporters Without Borders accusing the Israeli army of killing around 200 journalists.
The organization compiles the index based on both quantitative monitoring of abuses against journalists and qualitative assessments by experts.
