U.S. press freedom reaches new low, says global journalism organization

The U.S. hit a historic all-time low in press freedom, now ranking 64th globally, according to Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index. The organization, also known by its French initials, RSF, which defends media access and journalists’ rights, is pointing the finger at President Trump’s return to the presidency. “The US has experienced a steady decline in the RSF Index over the past decade, but President Trump is pouring gasoline on the fire,” RSF North America Director Clayton Weimers said in a statement. “Trump and his administration have carried out a coordinated war on press freedom since the day he took office, and we will live with the consequences for years to come.” RSF cites six reasons: media ownership, Mr. Trump’s litigation against news outlets, press freedom legislation, economic constraints, declining trust in the media and journalists’ safety. Highly concentrated traditional and mainstream media ownership weakens media pluralism and exacerbates reductions in journalism jobs, which in turn causes a wave of layoffs in the U.S. media landscape, according to RSF. The president’s pressure on news outlets to soften their stance on him, attempts to dismantle U.S. public broadcasters, including NPR and PBS for “anti-Trump” coverage, halting aid funding