Press freedom in 2025: Economic pressure threatens media worldwide
The latest 2025 Press Freedom Index reveals a worrying trend: Economic pressure on the media is increasing worldwide and is increasingly threatening the independence and stability of newsrooms.
According to the report, the global press freedom situation has been classified as "difficult" for the first time. In 42 countries, covering more than half of the world's population, the situation is even perceived as "very difficult". Particularly affected are countries in which media are finding it increasingly difficult to remain financially stable due to economic pressures, leading to closures. In almost 90 percent of the countries examined in the report, media can no longer achieve long-term financial stability.
"Without economic independence, there is no free press," says Denis Masmejan, Secretary General of RSF Switzerland. "Weakened media become the prey of political decision-makers, oligarchs and autocrats. Economically weakened media have less and less opportunities to defend themselves against the enemies of the free press, disinformation and propaganda."
In the USA (rank 57), the economic and social situation of journalism has deteriorated significantly over the last two years. In some states, entire regions are turning into news deserts. Local journalism in particular is paying a high price for this. Donald Trump's second term in office has further intensified this trend, although the extent of his decisions to date is not yet fully apparent in the current ranking.
Switzerland remains in 9th place in the ranking and is therefore in the group of countries in which the overall press freedom situation can be described as "satisfactory". In this country, the biggest challenges remain unresolved legislative issues and the tense economic situation of many editorial offices. It is also problematic that there is still no draft legislation in Switzerland that addresses the regulation of large online platforms. SRF Switzerland President Isabelle Cornaz is therefore calling for regulation: "It is important to regulate the functioning of these platforms, which are being used by more and more citizens to obtain information, so that we retain the right to reliable and transparent information."
